Fragments, Reassembled
by LadyDeb1970
Summary: Eighth in the Worlds Apart series: Jack begins assembling his new Torchwood Three team. However, first he has to say good-bye to some old friends.
1. Alex:  Patterns of Behavior

Author's Note: Okay, as promised, here is the story which starts to pull together the Torchwood Three team together, beginning with Alex Hopkins' murder-suicide in 1999. The next chapter will be Suzie, assuming I don't have an interlude first. I would actually have to have bites for that, so I'm sure it will be Suzie, followed by Tosh, and then finally Owen. As I've mentioned, I'm an American, and while I've been to several countries in Europe, the UK isn't among them. So, if I got the depiction of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William wrong, I apologize. I honestly don't read a great deal about royalty, British or otherwise (I had to double-check the date of Princess Diana's death, if that tells you anything), and I'm not comfortable with putting real people in my fics, but given Torchwood's status with the Crown, I felt it was necessary.

Disclaimer: Jack, Alex, Suzie, Tosh and Owen do not belong to me. They belong to the BBC and to Starz, as does the concept of _Torchwood_. Any _Transformers_ characters that turn up belong to Hasbro and Michael Bay (and I'm not sure if any TF characters show up, aside from John Keller). Everything else belongs to me. I'm willing to share, just please ask first and return them to me intact. I don't ask for unscathed, because I abuse Jack almost as much as the actual writers do.

Fragments, Reassembled

Chapter One

Alex: Patterns of Behavior

Cardiff, Wales, UK

October 1997

Alex Hopkins hadn't quite figured out what to make of the newest member of his team. In the six months since Captain Jack Harkness arrived in Cardiff with his barely-out-of-her-teens wife, trying to figure out the handsome, somewhat enigmatic Torchwood operative was akin to herding cats. Even though that wasn't really the best way to put it, nothing else seemed to even fit. Each time Alex thought he had the man figured out, Harkness completely threw him off balance. Worse yet, he seemed to take pleasure in it. And then there was his wife. Saying that she was barely out of her teens wasn't entirely fair. . .she would be twenty-four in June. But she tended to fade into the background, smiling affectionately at her husband all the while.

Not that he really saw much of Alexandra Harkness most of the time. Her husband was fiercely protective of her, wanting to keep her away from Torchwood as much as possible. Alex supposed he really couldn't blame the man. Most Torchwood operatives didn't live past their thirty-fifth birthday, if they were even lucky enough to reach that particular milestone. Lacey (a rather unlikely nickname for Alexandra) wasn't a Torchwood operative, but she was married to one, and sometimes, that was all it took. And apparently, the girl had already taken out an alien bounty hunter looking to collect on a bounty for a former companion of the Doctor, Torchwood's Public Enemy Number One. Alex found that very hard to believe, but it seemed the girl was far stronger and a helluva lot more resourceful than she appeared.

She also had her Bachelor's Degree in History, with a minor in Anthropology, and lived in at least two countries while she was growing up. They found that out the hard way when someone made an uncomplimentary remark in Italian. . .Alex really didn't remember who it was or what it was or even what it was about. . .and Lacey fired back a retort in very good Italian. She smirked at their stunned expressions and explained that she lived in Italy as a child while her father was posted at one of the United States Army bases in country and her roommate through most of college was the great-granddaughter of an Italian émigré. That was the last time anyone at Torchwood Three underestimated Lacey Harkness.

Of course, their view of her was further thrown off balance when they returned from a mission, about six weeks after the couple arrived in Cardiff and at Torchwood Three. Jack suffered a particularly unpleasant death that morning. Not entirely believing that Jack would revive, despite what he found in the archives, Alex called Lacey so she could say good-bye to her husband. His injuries were concealed from sight and he looked as if he was only sleeping. Upon their return in the early evening, the team caught Jack and Lacey engaging in conjugal relations in the med-bay. . .it was particularly jarring to see Lacey straddling her husband, who was still lying on the autopsy table. No, that wasn't the right way of putting it. Jack's wrists were tied to the table, using his own braces, his legs looped around his petite wife's shoulders as she trailed kisses along the insides of his thighs.

The new bride made an odd '_eeping_' sound as she slid back up her husband's body and hid her face against Jack's chest, while he just smirked at them and asked if they would like to join in. No one saw anything, but there was the sound of flesh striking flesh and a yelp from Jack. However, he never lost his smirk. You would have thought that he was caught in that position on a regular basis. Then again, given the stories he often told, he probably did. His wife, on the other hand, couldn't look at any of them for weeks. Alex later learned from a fiercely-blushing Lacey that it was her way of making things right with Jack after she botched rather spectacularly her first, last, and only attempt to give him a blow-job. She didn't elaborate beyond a mumbled '_panic attack_' and Alex dared not ask, especially not after seeing far more of both Jack and Lacey than he really wanted on that particular occasion. There were simply some things you didn't want to know about your employees or their partners. Their mating habits topped that list.

And again, on the other hand, there was also the matter of Lacey at the funeral of Princess Diana the previous month. She stood at her husband's side, a petite statue in black, executing a nearly-perfect curtsey when she was presented to the Queen and softly offering her condolences to Prince Charles and the two young princes. The girl would glance at Jack ever so often, as if to ask '_am I doing it right_?' And then she would relax at his approving grin and wink. So very quiet, so very demure, it was hard to reconcile her with the little wanton whom Alex and the others caught in the med-bay with Jack. And he was just as bad, if not worse. . .a strange combination of irrepressible flirt, steely-eyed warrior, and wounded child. That was how the man's own wife described the various sides to Jack's personality, and Alex wasn't about to argue with her. She knew Jack far better, after all.

Besides, she happened to be right. He wasn't entirely sure about the wounded child part, but he couldn't deny there was a core of pain in Jack. The same man whom Alex saw grappling with a Weevil to distract it from another team member, he also saw comforting a terrified alien without even a hint of flirting. The same man who flirted outrageously with the entire Torchwood Three team showed only tenderness and compassion to the two young princes in the wake of their mother's death, his eyes shadowed with an ancient pain. Everyone had more than one side to their personality, but Jack. . .the different sides were pronounced. Not a split personality, just. . .

Sod it. He couldn't figure either one of them out. He knew from the archives that Jack was far older than the thirty-four or thirty-five that he seemed to be; that despite his accent, he wasn't American (his wife was, though); and that he wasn't even from Earth. Alex also knew that back in the 1960's, he was one of the delivery boys of a particular package to some aliens holding the British government hostage. Alex didn't approve of appeasement. It never worked and it set a bad precedence. He approved of dumping all the blame on one person even less. However, he made a mistake in telling Harkness: the man made his standard flirtatious comment (something about having broad shoulders and wouldn't Alex like to find out just how broad), but Alex could see the pain that flickered in the other man's blue eyes. And so, no further mention was made of the events of 1965. That didn't stop Alex from resolving to learn more, in order to better protect his entire team. Yvonne Hartman ran Torchwood One, and she was starting to scare the hell out of him, but if she made such a foolish choice, he would do everything within his power to stop her. Torchwood was formed to protect, not to endanger.

TWTWTWTWTW

Cardiff, Wales, UK

June 1998

"**Everyone out of the way**!"

Alex was out of his office and headed downstairs at the bellowed instructions before he even realized what he was doing. And then he saw Jack Harkness carrying a limp figure toward the med-bay, blue shirt stained with blood. . .and not all of that blood belonged to the body in his arms. There was a flurry of activity, including the door to the conference room nearly exploding off its hinges as the occupant almost literally flew out of the room. Jack took note of the newcomer with a quick glance, glowered at Alex, but continued toward the med-bay. Oh yes, he would be hearing about this later, of that, Alex had no doubt.

Still, what was done was done, and they had a team member to save. Jack was settling the injured woman on the table as Alex arrived, and the immortal was breathlessly explaining what happened. About what he expected, even with what Jack wasn't saying. She ignored what Jack told her and that was why she was lying on the table. Probably also why Jack died today, at least once today. Maybe more than once. The immortal paused, and then asked, "Why is she here?" This was said as the individual from the conference room joined Alex. Lacey folded her arms over her chest, glaring right back at her husband. There were a few sniggers at her expression, which died as she turned her glare onto them. Jack raised his hands into the classic 'surrender' pose and said, "I just. . ."

"We've had this conversation, Jack, even before we got married, and I had this conversation with my parents. I stopped being an innocent several years ago, when my father's best friend was shot repeatedly with a crossbow while rescuing me, and I'm just as safe inside the hub as I am out in Cardiff. Probably even more so," Lacey responded quietly. Well, Alex wouldn't go that far, but he could appreciate her perspective. She continued, "I've respected your wishes, but I can do more good in here than I can by sitting at home and worrying about you." She gave her husband a once-over, adding, "And it looks like I had reason to worry. Give me about ten minutes, and I'll get you a change of clothes. Alex, I'm almost done with the notes I was taking. It shouldn't be more than another hour after I get Jack's spare clothes and I should be done."

Alex nodded and Lacey disappeared back into the conference room, where she had been going through the journals and reports of past Torchwood operatives. She was trained as a historian, but also had a background in anthropology. When she approached Alex the previous day with the request to do something to help, Alex gave her the old journals and reports. It was intended just to keep her busy while he figured out what to do with her (and to ask Jack about it), but she began to use her training in a way that he never anticipated. Though Jack encountered these life forms before and knew about their habits, Lacey wisely pointed out that Jack wouldn't always be available. What if he suffered an especially nasty death and the team encountered a problem while he was still dead? She could compile the information and add what she found to the Torchwood archives and the computer systems.

"I only want to keep her safe, Alex," Jack lamented as he joined Alex, allowing the team medic to do his job. The head of Torchwood Three smiled sympathetically. . .ah yes, the lament of all new husbands in dangerous jobs. . . and he grew even more sympathetic when Jack went on, "I'm out of practice, doing domestic, and Lacey is still so inexperienced. She wants so much to please me, but she doesn't have to. She doesn't have to prove anything to me." Which was, no doubt, the reason for Lacey and Jack's tryst in the med-bay. . .she was trying to prove herself to Jack. The question was, what was she trying to prove? Uhm. . .no. Not his problem. Focus on doing his job and alleviate the mind of the new husband, so he could focus on _his_ job.

For that reason, Alex explained, "I think, though, that Lacey is looking for more than just proving herself to you as a good wife and a good partner." Jack frowned thoughtfully at this observation and Alex continued, "Think about it from her point of view. She's thousands of miles away from her family and most likely homesick. She has you, but you're often needed here. Finding a job is a bit dodgy, and she's a recent college graduate. You work for Torchwood, an institute that is supposed to protect others. Lacey's a very young and idealistic girl, and she wants to make a difference. She's not a warrior, not a computer specialist. Yes, she's a decent shot, but she hasn't the training or the knowledge to be a real Torchwood operative. This is her way of helping us, of helping you."

He enumerated each point on his fingers, seeing the understanding dawn in Jack's eyes. Alex said softly, "I can't guarantee your wife's safety, Jack. But that's true of here or your flat or the street. However, on the other hand, I can tell you this. The rest of the team may not know what to make of your wife, and they may not understand her, but there isn't a person here who wouldn't give their life for her. And I will not allow her near the dangerous tech." Jack nodded slowly, still not looking happy, but accepting. Alex understood. She was his wife, but there were times when Jack saw the child she was once.

"Okay, here's your duffel bag, Jack. Alex, did you want my notes typed up or turned in as is? I gotta warn you, my handwriting is plenty tiny," Lacey warned as she rejoined the two men. Alex bit back a smile. . .yes, he had seen her microscopic handwriting and told her that typed was perfectly acceptable. Lacey nodded and handed the duffel bag to Jack with a wary look before heading back up to the conference room. The door was closed quietly behind her, and Alex noticed that the immortal's eyes never left his wife's small, retreating figure. It wasn't his place, but Jack had done his duty today and then some.

"Go after her, Jack," Alex said quietly and the other man looked at him, startled. Alex reiterated, gently nudging his operative's shoulder, "Go after her. I know, you didn't argue as such, but it's going to bother you both until you get this settled. I need her focused on her work, and I need you focused on the report you're about to write. I've seen your reports when you're distracted." Jack tried to pout at that, but a reluctant smile drew the corners of his mouth upward. He nodded and strode after his wife, long coat billowing out behind him. Alex shook his head, not even bothering to hide his smile.

He still didn't understand Jack or Lacey. However, he didn't need to understand them, only accept them. And just to make sure Jack didn't put his foot in his mouth, all the way up to his hip (it was known to happen), Alex trailed after his unofficial auxiliary member as well as her husband, stopping when he reached the door to the conference room. He heard Jack say, "You could have told me that you were homesick, Lace. . .I would have understood." Alex all but face-palmed. There was an exasperated sigh from the dark-haired woman currently shifting papers on the table and Alex had to grin. She was definitely one for preparations and thinking ahead.

"And how often were you homesick during those thirty-plus years you were exiled? Hmm? How often did you complain about feeling homesick? Never that I can remember hearing. Besides, it doesn't make any sense for me to feel this way. This is not the first time I've been outside the US," Lacey replied, turning to face Jack. She eased herself onto the table, legs dangling. Jack leaned forward, each hand on either side of her thighs. He was not, Alex noted, trying to intimidate her. . .merely making sure they were on eye-level. Jack was in far too vulnerable a position to try to intimidate his wife.

"You've been outside the States, yes, but you were with your parents and sisters at the time. I don't always understand family dynamics or those ties, but I do understand that having your family with you made all the difference in the world," Jack pointed out. How long had it been since he lost his family? Jack never discussed what happened to his parents and whatever siblings he might have had. But Alex couldn't forget the expression in Jack's eyes as he comforted Princes William and Harry after they lost their mother. . .as if it was a pain he knew too well himself.

"You're my family now, too, Jack. I just. . .I need to do something, aside from worry about you. I've read and kept the house in good order. And I still can do that. But I need to do something else, something when the house can't take another cleaning and neither can I. I don't miss Mama, Daddy, and the girls as much when I'm working. And I don't worry about you as much, either," Lacey replied. Alex drew back as Jack leaned forward to kiss Lacey, because he really didn't need to see what came next. He had known the couple for more than a year, and that silence generally meant that they wouldn't be stopping with a kiss. He blushed as he heard a low moan from Jack, unable to resist a peek inside. Lacey had wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing his body against her own.

Yes, he really needed to return to the med-bay. Maybe check for some things in the archives? This was liable to take a while. And if he moved a little faster after hearing more of the sound effects. . .well, how could anyone really blame him for that?

TWTWTWTWTW

December 31, 1999

This was the end. And it was the beginning.

For years, Alex Hopkins did his best to guide Torchwood Three, to protect humanity. . .and this was how it ended. He looked around the Hub at his lost team, his lost friends. There was only one left, and he was lost in another way. His wife was right. . .there were three parts to his personality, although he would have described that part as 'lost child' rather than 'wounded child,' but it was all a matter of semantics. And it didn't really matter, the semantics. He wished he could extend this mercy to the final member of his team.

That individual wouldn't be back for another few hours, and there were things Alex still needed to say to Jack Harkness, things that couldn't be said in a note, shouldn't be said in a note. And so, he sat quietly in his office, looking through photographs taken during his tenure at Torchwood Three. He touched faces and whispered names, remembering these people. Not for the first time, he wished Jack's exile had ended much earlier. He would die, and these people would be forgotten. Jack, however. . .so long as Jack lived, the people whom he knew and loved would live on, even when he forgot their names or their faces.

And now he reached the part of the album which covered the years since Jack's return to Cardiff. How long did it take before he started seeing the vulnerable man behind the masks Jack wore to protect himself? When, he realized, he actually started looking. Masks only worked for people who didn't want to see past them. He smiled tenderly at the seemingly-young man in the pictures, who was laughing, smirking or sometimes not even paying attention to the camera. Those were Alex's favorites, the pictures taken when Jack was wholly unaware that someone else was in the room or watching him. Not that he stayed unaware for long. . .the man had a sixth sense about when someone was watching him.

He learned, quite by accident, that Jack lost his entire family when he was still a child. It wasn't anything that Jack or Alexandra said. . .rather, he learned it while in an audience with her Majesty and young Prince William. Once the formalities were out of the way, Alex noticed the young prince barely holding back his curiosity and once he received permission from the Queen, asked the boy kindly what he wanted to know. The boy asked after 'Captain Harkness,' adding that he had been so very kind to both William and Harry after the death of their mother. Alex answered the child's questions, and then learned, quite unexpectedly, that Jack had told William that he lost his entire family when he was just about William's age. It was rare to get such information about his operative, but Alex checked his desire to learn more. Instead, he told the young prince that Captain Harkness was well, that he just completed another mission successfully (and chose not to tell the boy that he had died three times during the mission).

Once the youngster rejoined his father and brother, Her Majesty thanked him quietly for not revealing Jack's inability to die. It was still close enough to the loss of his mother that William might have asked uncomfortable questions about whether Jack could have saved the Princess of Wales. There was no point in causing the boy further pain. No point whatsoever. And he wished he could spare Jack the pain that was coming. Alex knew the future, thanks to that damned artifact, and he knew that Jack, particularly with the support of his father-in-law, was in a better position to stop the terror coming. . .or, at the very least, blunt it. Maybe there was nothing anyone could do to stop the horror, but Jack could at least blunt the worst of it. And Alex himself? He could spare the rest of his team from that horror, but not Jack. When he realized what was coming, and after the others were dead, he briefly thought about going to the flat Jack shared with Alexandra and granting her that mercy as well. However, he didn't put it past Jack to find a way to bring him back to life, just to kill him again, if he laid a finger on Jack's young wife. So he left her alone.

And Jack would need her, in the days and weeks and months ahead. Yes, there would be a day when she would die and he would once more be left alone. But until that time, she could assist her husband. He learned that she was actually pretty good with administrative tasks, and commented on it one day while he was reading over her notes. She smiled ruefully and admitted that as she grew up, she usually helped her mother keeping order in the house. Her mother had a full-time job, just as a military wife. However, she also had three daughters, and Corinna Winton Keller needed all the help she could get. They said that one could accomplish more with honey than with vinegar, and Alexandra was certainly more. . . diplomatic than Jack.

On the other hand, sometimes vinegar was necessary and would work far better than honey. They would figure it out, between the two of them. They were better when they worked by instinct, especially Lacey. If she, if either of them, over-thought things, that was when they got into trouble. _Well, well, well_. Turned out that Jack was right about that as well. Over-thinking led Jack to be overly protective of Lacey, while that very same stimuli had Lacey doing things that didn't appeal to her at all, in order to be a good wife to Jack. Yes, while logic had its place, so did instinct. He smiled at a picture of the party they had at a local pub for Lacey's twenty-fifth birthday. . .was it really only six months earlier? Indeed it was. Lacey beamed at the camera, perched happily in her husband's lap, his arms holding her firmly in place as the rest of the team circled around the couple, laughing with the pair.

Oh, there were such good times in this subterranean base! Alex blinked, his eyes growing misty, no doubt because of the dust. It was ending badly, but Torchwood, he believed, was a phoenix. It would rise from its own ashes and become something even greater. The previous decade, there was a children's show, in which the heroes used the phoenix as their symbol. He always loved the idea of the phoenix, of life coming from death. Alex willed Jack to be that phoenix for Torchwood. . .because while the Institute itself was flawed, its mission was not. It was designed to protect humanity from those who would do harm to the still very young species. And perhaps the Doctor should not be considered Public Enemy Number One. . .Jack didn't seem to think so, and he knew the Time Lord better than Alex.

_He will change that_, Alex decided, _that will likely be the first thing he will change. Most likely, the only similarity between Torchwood Three and Torchwood One will be their names, because I doubt Jack will want anything to do with Yvonne Hartman's insanity_. Alex chuckled to himself. . .he almost wished he could be there during that confrontation. But. . .his smile died away, but that wasn't possible. He wasn't entirely sure if he believed Jack's assertion that there was nothing after death. Alex liked to think that he would be able to watch over his successor after his own death. He hoped so.

And then, he heard Jack's voice. It was time, then. Alex gripped his sidearm and prayed for the strength to finish this.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

They were dead.

They were all dead.

They were all dead, and Alex's still-warm blood spattered his face.

Jack returned from dealing with the Millennium Bug (seriously? An actual freaking _bug_? **REALLY**?), to find nearly all of his teammates dead where they had fallen. He returned to the base which had been workplace and home to him for the last two and a half years, to find his teammates, his friends, dead, and only moments later, his boss killed himself in front of Jack as well. And now, Torchwood Three was his. More than one hundred years after his initial encounter with Alice Guppy, Emily Holroyd, and Charles Haskell, he was the head of Torchwood Three. Jack wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. He wanted to put his fist through something. But none of those would do any good, and he had to see to his (late) teammates.

One by one, he carried them to the crypt where their predecessors slept. One by one, he gently laid these members of an unexpected family to rest on a slab, before sliding them into their resting place with equal gentleness. It wasn't until he placed Alex on his slab that Jack finally allowed himself to break down and cry. As he slid down the metallic drawers that kept so many people whom he knew and loved over the decades, he wept soundlessly. Especially after he realized what caused the damn murder-suicide. It was all so damn. . .wrong! The artifact played upon the darkest fears of the user, there was no reason for this to happen!

He probably would have remained there for far longer, but his mobile began to ring. He tapped his earpiece and heard, "Jack? Did everything go okay tonight?" Lacey. He choked back a sob, and Lacey asked, now sounding worried, "What's wrong, sweetheart? Do you need. . .do you need me to come to the Hub?" She made a sound that seemed like a gasp of pain or a choked-back whimper, but it could have just as easily been the result of sore muscles from sitting in one position for far longer than she should have.

"No. The crowds are going to be unreal tonight, Lace. Stay home, stay safe. I have it under control. Just don't know when I'll be home," Jack replied hoarsely. And then, because he never could hide things from her for any length of time, he added, "They're all dead, Lace. The entire team, they're all dead. Alex killed them, and then he killed himself, because of a stupid artifact that doesn't even do what he thinks, thought, it did!" There was a sharp inhale of breath from Lacey and Jack closed his eyes. _Shouldn't have told her like that, shouldn't have. . ._

Lacey's voice, when it came once more, was calm and steady, telling him, "You do what you need to do for them, Jack. I'll be here at home, waiting for you. Have you eaten tonight?" Jack thought he said '_no_,' but the night had taken such a horrific turn, he really wasn't sure if anything he said. His ever-practical bride responded, "I'll have something light for you when you get home. Is there anything else I can do, once you get home? Aside from have a light meal for you and hold you?"

Jack allowed himself a hoarse little laugh and responded, "I think that will be what I need most. Maybe a shower. Lacey-Lace. . .I'm Torchwood Three now. All the years I worked for this Institute, and now I'm the head of. . . I'll need your help." Because that was the one thing that was clear to him. He couldn't put this branch back together without help of some kind. He was a soldier, not a diplomat, and he knew from Alex (and past directors) about the growing tension with UNIT over the last few years. The UNIT he remembered from the years before his exile no longer existed and the new UNIT scared the hell out of both Jack and Alex. Or maybe the new UNIT was really the same as the old UNIT. You could never tell.

"Then I'll do whatever I can to help you, love, you know that. Now, if there's nothing else you can do there right now, program your wrist-comp to notify you if there are any issues with the Rift, and then come home. I'll have food and a shower ready for you when you get here," Lacey replied quietly, the steadfast tone doing oh so much to settle Jack's jangled nerves, along with the sensible suggestions. Yes. There was nothing more he could do here tonight, and right now, he couldn't bear to stay in the Hub. Not tonight. There was a brief pause, another pained sound from Lacey, then his bride said gently, "I love you, Jack, and we will get through this. Together. I promise you that."

And when Lacey said that, he believed her. He asked softly, "How do you know what to say and what to do to make me feel better? How is it that you're always strong when I feel like I don't have the energy or the strength to take another step?" It was a question he often wanted to ask his mother-in-law, but never quite had the stones to do. There was a faint laugh, and again, Jack thought that his wife sounded like she was on the verge of tears. But why? He didn't think it was because of Alex and the others, although it was possible.

"I'm the daughter of a military wife, Jack, I'm a military brat. And even though my husband doesn't serve in the US military, I consider myself a military wife as well. That's what we do, Jack. We hold it together, even when we feel like we're falling apart on the inside. . .especially when we feel like we're falling apart on the inside. Because our husbands are fighting another battle to keep us safe, and they, you, need to know that we're okay," Lacey replied. There was a hidden meaning mixed in there somewhere, but right now, Jack was too tired and too heartsick to puzzle it out. Lacey would tell him when she was ready.

"Okay. Okay, that makes sense. I'm coming home, Lacey. Will you let me hold you for the rest of tonight? Right now, I don't feel up to being the dashing Captain Jack Harkness," he told her. There was a soft huff of laughter, reminding him that Lacey married the human (mostly) man, and not the captain. Reassured, Jack checked the Rift and programmed his wrist-comp for the incoming Rift alerts. He checked the Hub for any possible survivors (or invaders, given the chaos of the last few hours), then headed to the flat he shared with Lacey. As promised, she had a light meal ready for him and while he ate, got the shower ready for him. Once he was clean and fed, he curled up in his wife's arms and quietly wept as she held him.

It wasn't until three days later that he learned on the same night Alex Hopkins murdered his team before killing himself, his wife miscarried their first child.


	2. Suzie:  Something More than This

Author's Note: Here we have Suzie's tale. It'll be somewhat longer than Alex's, because I have more ground to cover. Just to be safe, I'll take two chapters to tell Suzie's beginnings at Torchwood, simply because we know so little about her. I may do the interlude I mentioned after I have Suzie's story told. I'm tinkering a bit with the timeline for both TW and TF. And as if the cooling temperatures here in North Carolina aren't enough to convince me that it's fall, there's hockey and football on TV, and one of our local grocery stores is carrying Hickory Farms summer sausage. Mmmm!

Chapter Two

Suzie: Something More than This

Cardiff, Wales, UK

January 2000

Suzie wasn't there when the tall, dark-haired American came sweeping through the halls of the hospital, a small young woman clutched protectively against his chest, but she did hear all about it when she reported for her shift as a lab technician that evening. The girls she worked with thought it was incredibly romantic (Suzie rolled her eyes at that), until they were informed that the man's wife had a miscarriage and was hemorrhaging. That promptly ended any fawning, aside from one bint who muttered, '_he still looked awfully heroic, coming in like that_.'

Heroic. _Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight_. Suzie shook her head and got back to work. She didn't think anything more about the girl and her husband. There was too much to do and she had too much to prove, too much to offer, to stay a lab tech. She forgot, at least, until she was heading for her break in the wee hours of the morning and a soft voice hailed her from inside one of the patient rooms, "Excuse me? If you see Dr. Elango. . ." The voice broke off, and in spite of herself, Suzie ducked into the room to find a slim, dark-haired woman struggling into a sitting position. The lab tech swore under her breath and carefully eased the woman upright. She was rewarded with a weak smile and a breathless, "Thanks. Guess it took more out of me than I realized. Uhm. Have you seen Dr. Elango?"

Her accent marked her as an American, though she was rather soft-spoken. Then again, it was very early and most of the other patients were still asleep, just as this girl should be. Suzie answered, "No, not real familiar with Dr. Elango. Is there someone else I can get for you?" The girl shook her head. . .she was Suzie's age, if not younger. Dark hair, dark eyes. . . extremely fair skin, now actually pale. Blood loss or pain? And she looked exhausted, like whatever sleep she was getting was fitful at best. Suzie would have been the first to tell anyone that she wasn't that empathetic, but right now, she found she couldn't leave this girl on her own.

"No. My husband should be back in the morning. Things went. . .really pear-shaped at his place of work, and he's having to put the pieces back together on his own. 'Sides, I think he's still upset with me for not telling him about the miscarriage," the American replied. Ah. So this was the girl whom the others were discussing. The girl smiled at her tiredly, adding, "Thank you for your help, I don't want to keep you from your work." If Suzie had been looking for an escape route. . .after all, she did have to eat. . .there it was. But. . .she stayed put. In fact, she sat down and scooted the chair a little closer to the other woman.

"Why didn't you tell him?" she asked curiously, then belatedly remembered her manners. It was a good job that her dad wasn't around. Suzie flinched at the thought, and then offered her hand to the American girl, saying, "I'm Suzie Costello, by the way, one of the lab techs here. And I'm on my break right now, so you're not interrupting my work. But really, why didn't you tell your husband about the miscarriage?" Suzie swore to herself that if the girl said her husband would have blamed her for it, she would figure out a way to save this girl and make the bastard pay, no matter what it took.

Instead, her companion said softly as she shook Suzie's hand, "You'll laugh at me, but I didn't realize what was happening to me at first. I know, stupid girl, doesn't realize when she's losing her baby. But. . .I didn't even know I was pregnant. I think Dr. Elango said that I was around six weeks and my period has always been kinda erratic. . ." She blinked back tears, summoned up a brave smile, adding, "And please forgive me for my lack of manners. I'm Lacey Harkness. It's a pleasure to meet you, Suzie Costello, though I wish it could have been under better circumstances." Suzie squeezed her hand. Honestly, it didn't sound stupid at all to her. It wasn't as if she was nine months gone and hadn't realized she was pregnant.

"Nothin' to forgive. Are you okay? I mean, there's no infection, or are they checking that?" Suzie asked, choosing not to release the other girl's hand. Lacey bobbed her head, and Suzie took that to mean that she'd be all right. Deciding that Lacey and her husband seemed to be okay to comfort each other, Suzie decided to distract her new acquaintance by asking, "Lacey. . .is that a family name? I'm familiar with families called 'Lacey' or 'Lacy' in Ireland." The other girl shook her head with a small smile.

"It's short for 'Alexandra.' My nickname was originally 'Lexie,' and don't ask me who gave me that, 'cause there seems to be a difference of opinion. Anyhow, I couldn't say 'Lexie' properly when I was little. . .the best I could do was 'Lacey,' and it stuck. Although, Mama tells me that when she was growing up, she knew boys named 'Lacey.' Then again, when my grandfather had a posting where Grandmother and the children couldn't accompany him, they lived in the South. And Americans born and raised in the South have unique names," Lacey replied, a mischievous grin lighting her face. Suzie couldn't help but grin back. . .until the alert on her wrist watch alerted her that her break was over.

"Ah, dammit! Uhm. . .I do need to get back to work now, my break's over. I'll see if I can send Dr. Elango on back to you. . . and if I can, I'll come see you before you leave hospital. I enjoyed talking to you, Alexandra Harkness," Suzie replied. She was rewarded with a bright smile and a squeeze of her hand. For that reason (and others), Suzie did return to the room during her lunch/dinner break a few hours later. She told herself that she wanted to make sure that Dr. Elango did see Lacey. . .but the truth was, she was lonely.

TWTWTWTWTW

The next time Suzie saw Lacey Harkness, her shift was ending and she decided to check on her new American friend on the way out. However, the other girl wasn't alone. . .a _very_ handsome man with a somewhat anachronistic dressing style was sitting on her bed beside her, stroking her dark hair back from her forehead. Suzie hung back, listening as the man said, "I just wish you had told me sooner, Lace. Yes, you take care of me, but it's also my job to take care of you. You. . .you could have died, Lace, I thought you _would_ die!" His voice broke on the last word and Suzie swallowed hard.

"Jack, I didn't even realize I was pregnant. When I called you, I was watching the celebrations on tv and I remembered that you had a mission tonight. I was a little late, and I thought when the cramps started that it was. . .well, you know," Suzie's new friend replied. She reached up to caress his cheek before slipping her hand around the back of his neck, adding, "And by the time I did know what happened, you were trying to put the pieces back together. I'm sorry I didn't tell you and I am **so** sorry that I worried you. The last thing I wanted to do was scare you. But I promise, I did see a doctor and there's no danger of infection. If. . .if we want to try to have kids, there shouldn't be a problem. We. . .we never talked about it before. I don't think we even talked about it after you asked me to marry you."

"I. . .I hadn't thought about it myself, honestly. You'll be an amazing mother. . .I don't know what kind of father I'd really be, but I know you'll be a fantastic mom," Lacey's husband replied, and Suzie swallowed hard at the absolute conviction in his voice. She blinked back tears, thinking that she should come back later, that she shouldn't be listening to this oh-so-personal conversation. But. . .she couldn't leave. Her legs wouldn't move, wouldn't take her away from this room and this conversation.

"I don't know, Jack. I'm not really sure I would be a good mother. I mean, I didn't know I was pregnant and I still can't figure out what I did wrong, why our baby died," Lacey replied and the anguish in her new friend's voice nearly broke Suzie's heart. Her husband seemed to feel the same way, for he scooped Lacey into his arms, holding her against his chest. The pair clung to each other, both weeping softly. Suzie's earlier wariness of Lacey's husband receded a bit, but she still didn't fully trust him.

"You will be a _wonderful_ mother, Alexandra Elizabeth! You take wonderful care of me, you were practically a second mother to your sisters. . .I don't want to ever hear you say that you wouldn't be a good mother!" her husband said fiercely through his tears. He pressed a light kiss to her forehead, continuing, "And it wasn't your fault that the baby died. Okay? It wasn't your fault, you didn't do anything wrong. . .but that doesn't help, does it?" She shook her head against his shoulder. They clung to each other and feeling more and more ashamed, Suzie started to leave. Unfortunately, that attracted the attention of Lacey's husband and he called, still holding Lacey tightly, "I'm sorry, did you need to examine my wife?" _Examine. . .? Oh_.

"No. . .no, I was just leaving for the day and wanted to make sure Lacey was all right. I see she's in the very best of hands," Suzie stammered and waved a little as Lacey's head came away from her husband's shoulder. She was rewarded with a small smile, which disappeared while her husband eased her back into a reclining position and thumbed away her tears. However, it reappeared as she beckoned Suzie into the room. Part of the tech's mind was swearing that she should leave and go home, get some rest. . .but her feet had other ideas, as they carried her into the room and said, "I'm Suzie Costello, one of the lab techs. I met Lacey earlier in my shift, and wanted to make sure she was all right." _Stupid! You already said that_! She blamed it on her exhaustion. . .and maybe a little on Lacey's husband. He was truly. . .oh my.

"Captain Jack Harkness, pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking care of my Lacey. She mentioned that a lady was in earlier, talking to her when she couldn't sleep. I know how lonely she's been since we arrived in Cardiff," Jack Harkness replied, shaking Suzie's hand. Captain? To the best of Suzie's knowledge, there were no American military bases here, and both Lacey and her husband had American accents. He. . .what was he doing? Kissing her knuckles? In spite of herself, Suzie began to blush, not just at the action, but at the way she was reacting to his lips brushing across the back of her hand. And oh God, he smelled so good! There was a light thump and Jack Harkness glowered at his wife, pointing out, "I was just saying hello!"

"Yes, and Suzie is turning the same shade as a tomato. Dial back just a touch so she doesn't burst a blood vessel," Lacey replied with an affectionate grin. Suzie blinked, looking from the husband to the wife and back again. Lacey's smile broadened as she added, "He does this with everyone. So you're headed home for the day?" Suzie shook her head, and then nodded, feeling more and more lost by the minute. One minute, Jack Harkness was comforting his wife and weeping with her over the loss of their and now he was. . .? Lacey said softly, "Suzie, look at me." That, she could do, and raised her eyes to meet the dark eyes of her new friend, who continued, "Don't think about it too hard. This is the way we operate, how we handle things."

Suzie blinked, shook her head one last time, and then whispered, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm going home. It's really okay that he was flirting with me?" She didn't know quite how to react to this. Her own family was. . .well. The less said about that. She met people (not just men) who flirted with someone different when their partners weren't around to see them, she met people who flirted with others when their partners were in full view and fuming, and even partners who reacted with quiet resignation, but she never encountered anything like this.

"Like I said, he does it without thinking half the time. It's part of how he communicates. No, it doesn't bother me at all. . .as I've said on more than one occasion, if Jack doesn't flirt, I need to check him for a fever," Lacey replied with an affectionate smile for her husband. She grew more serious, adding, "It doesn't mean he cares for me any less, Suzie. That's just. . .just the way he is. And I love him too much to ever ask him to be something he's not. I fell in love with him when I was seventeen and it's only grown stronger with time. But right now? You need to head home, Suzie, you look absolutely exhausted. Jack. . .why don't you drive her? Visiting hours technically haven't started yet." They hadn't? A quick glance at her watch told Suzie that the American girl was right.

"You'll get more rest before I come back?" Lacey's husband asked, eyeing the dark circles under her eyes with obvious concern. Lacey bobbed her head, her eyes already drooping, and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. However, while Lacey was clearly exhausted, she also wasn't about to take a mere kiss to her brow. She tilted her head up, captured her husband's lips with her own, sliding her hand around the back of his neck at the same time. Suzie's eyebrows climbed into her hair, especially after she heard Jack Harkness moan softly. She couldn't help but grin when they separated, the husband looking **very** dazed. He said breathlessly, "Right. And I should go now, before I give your doctor something to yell at me for." Now that, Suzie had no trouble understanding. And for some reason, just after knowing him for a matter of minutes, she also had no trouble believing that if his wife wasn't recovering from a miscarriage, Jack Harkness would have absolutely no trouble with making love to her in a hospital room. No, no trouble at all.

"Oh, believe me. I will not let that slide. No one talks to my husband that way, not even my doctor. You lost a child, too, and I won't let him berate you for something that isn't your fault. If this isn't my fault, then it's not your fault, either," Lacey said grimly. Suzie turned her head to hide a smile. Not in amusement, but in anticipation. Lacey's expression gentled as she kissed her husband's cheek, adding, "Now, drop off Suzie, go home, take a shower, get some breakfast. You're losing weight. I'll not have you wasting away while I'm here." Suzie bit back a giggle when she punctuated this last statement with a light poke to his gut.

That provoked a yelp and Jack Harkness grasped his wife's hand, pulling it to his lips, and pressed a soft kiss to her palm. She smiled at him, murmuring, "I love you so very much. Get some rest, and I'll see you in a few hours. Suzie, he's been up for pretty close to twenty-four hours. Keep him awake until he gets you home, could you? I can't take care of him while I'm here, so I'm counting on you to do it for me." Suzie had the impression that she was given an honor that most people didn't receive, so she nodded solemnly. The dark-haired man rose to his feet, kissed his wife's hair and with a wink to Suzie, left the room. Suzie could only follow. What else could she do?

TWTWTWTWTW

Over the next two weeks, Suzie found herself spending more and more time with Jack and Lacey Harkness, even after she was released from hospital. They rarely discussed Lacey's miscarriage-that pain, when she wasn't utterly exhausted, was private. The sadness in her eyes remained, but she never spoke of it. Nor did they speak of how Jack was handling it, if he was at all. Suzie did learn that Lacey was a military brat, and that Jack had served, but he was rather noncommittal about what branch. She grew up in several states and Italy, remembering most of the Italian she learned as a child. What she couldn't remember, Jack supplied. And just as Lacey told her that first morning in the hospital, Jack flirted with everyone. Male, female, it didn't matter. What really intrigued Suzie, however, was how men reacted to the handsome captain's flirting. . .even straight guys didn't seem to mind his attentions. In truth, Suzie couldn't imagine why anyone would mind. Then again, Jack was becoming her friend and in addition to being incredibly gorgeous, he was also smart, funny, and compassionate.

And, as she learned quickly, Lacey had no issues with his flirting, either. It wasn't simply a brave face. . .she truly didn't mind. She simply watched him with an amused, affectionate smile. The third or fourth time this happened when the three were together, Lacey leaned over and whispered softly to Suzie, sounding very proud, "That's my husband." Suzie looked back at her new friend, who was beaming. She could only smile back, understanding what Lacey was saying. There were curious allusions Lacey occasionally made to 'for _as long as I have him_' or '_I won't be around forever_,' which made Suzie think that her new friend believed her husband would outlive her. However, she didn't talk about this mysterious illness or that belief. For now, she would respect that silence. For now. Not forever.

And really, Suzie's time with Jack and Lacey was the only good thing in her life. She was growing more and more bored in her job, her father was. . .well, he was no longer in her life and she was happy about that, but those demons continued to haunt her. And much as she hated to admit it, her boredom had grown more pronounced since she met Jack and Lacey. So, when Jack suggested during lunch one day that Suzie walk with him to get more chips, Suzie glanced at Lacey, who just smirked and waggled her brows at Suzie. That was obviously a '_go ahead, I think you'll like it_.' It, of course, being whatever Jack had to say.

They had been walking a short amount of time when Jack said quietly, "I know you're bored with your job. Of course you are. You're absolutely brilliant." Suzie started to speak, but Jack shook his head, stopped and put his hands on Suzie's forearms. She was too startled to flinch and Jack went on, his blue eyes boring into hers, "You are. You are entirely too brilliant to waste your talents with a job that bores you. Lacey mentioned that there was a. . .shake-down at my workplace?" There was the slightest hesitation in his voice, but Suzie nodded. Lacey mentioned it more than once, when Suzie commented on the shadows in Jack's eyes. Jack continued, "Last man standing, and I've been tasked with rebuilding the organization. I think there's a place for you. Are you interested?"

Of all the things Suzie expected to hear, a job offer was at the very bottom of the list. She licked her lips, barely forcing out, "What. . .what would I be doing?" Jack's smile warmed his face and Suzie's heart. He released her forearms, offering his arm. She hesitantly slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as they began to walk again. He didn't speak for several moments, and Suzie had the impression that only part of it was for dramatic effect. Jack, she learned over the last few weeks, had a strong sense of the dramatic. But, it seemed he was also gathering his thoughts, deciding what he would say next.

"You'll think I'm taking the piss, but what I'm about to tell you is the truth. You'll be helping to save the world. Interested?" Jack asked. It was more than a little odd, hearing the oh-so-British slang in that American accent, but Suzie focused on what he was telling her. Not helping to save lives, which was noble of course and what she was doing at the current job, but helping to save the world. Like so many little kids, boy or girl, Suzie once dreamed of saving the world, until painful reality set in as she grew up.

"Does. . .does Lacey know what you really do?" she asked. She wasn't even sure why she asked that, but for some reason it was important. Jack nodded slowly, and Suzie understood. She whispered, "That's why she was so angry when the doctor accused you of not being there for Lacey after the miscarriage. Whatever happened. . .it happened on the night that she lost the baby." His jaw tensed and Suzie hugged his arm, murmuring, "Oh, Jack. I'm so sorry!" He covered her hand with his own. So many things were making sense now.

"We're still rebuilding. We'll all be doing more than one thing, including Lacey, especially after I train you in the use of weapons. She'll be primarily doing office work while she recovers. Are you okay with the possibility that you might need to fire a gun?" Jack asked soberly. It was so different from his usual demeanor, Suzie found herself paying closer attention to what he was saying (and wondered in the back of her mind if maybe he did that on purpose). She thought briefly about what she would do with that gun if someone tried to take what they wanted from her again, then dismissed it and focused on what he was truly asking her. After a moment, she raised her eyes to meet his and nodded. Jack smiled then and said, "Then after lunch, I'll take you where we're going. All three of us are going. And we'll have you back in time for your shift at the hospital."

He was as good as his word. After retrieving the chips, the trio headed back to his car. During the brief drive, Jack explained that she would need to keep an open mind about what she was about to see (studiously ignoring Lacey's murmured, '_a very open mind'_). Suzie began to see what he meant when they pulled in front of the Roald Dahl Plass…more specifically, the Millennium Center. Suzie raised her eyebrows, staring at Jack, but it was Lacey who smirked and said, "Watch and be amazed, m'dear." She took Suzie's hand as Jack stepped forward. . . and vanished. Lacey's smile widened and she said, "C'mon. It's okay."

Suzie stepped forward, still clinging to Lacey's hand as if her friend was all that stood between her and the abyss. And maybe she was. Together, the two women stepped forward and Jack again became visible, beaming at them both. Suzie whispered, "Wha. . .where did. . .I don't understand!" Jack's grin became bigger and Lacey just squeezed her hand reassuringly. Then the floor seemed to give way under her and Suzie yelped. Neither Jack nor Lacey acted worried. . .if anything, Jack's smile broadened, his eyes twinkling with mischief. By now, Suzie realized she was on a lift, and that they were going down. . .but where?

Her question was answered as Jack said softly, "Welcome to our lair. This is where we protect Earth and humanity." Suzie stepped out into the. . .lair. . .and turned in circles, looking around in astonishment. Jack continued, "It's properly called the Hub. Would you like to see more?" Suzie nodded, utterly entranced with the alien environment. And, as she soon learned, there was a reason for that. She learned about Queen Victoria's meeting with a mysterious man, a young blonde girl, and a werewolf (?); and she learned of the queen's desire to create an institute to protect the people of this country and even this world from alien threats. By the time Jack began telling her of the Rift in Cardiff, she really had no trouble at all believing that there were aliens. . .some that wanted only to be safe, and others who wanted humanity to never achieve their potential. And if Suzie joined Jack (if?), then she would help to guard humanity against those aliens. . .and, on occasion, against itself. The tech knew entirely too well that sometimes, people were their own worst enemies.

Lacey remained quiet through Jack and Suzie's entire conversation, and when Jack finally asked, "Does this sound like something that would appeal to you, Suzie Costello?" Looking around the lair. . .around the Hub. . .at the equipment that was almost literally light years beyond what she was accustomed to, Suzie repeated the question. Equipment that was literally the best, thanks to this place's status with the Crown. . .work that wouldn't bore her to tears. . .a boss who seemed to understand and appreciate her curiosity and passion. . .and getting to see her new friend, whose quiet acceptance eased Suzie's own loneliness.

"Yes. . .yes, it does! When can I start?" Suzie blurted out, her voice almost squeaking with her excitement, and Jack grinned. Suzie noticed the glance that passed between the husband and wife, and in spite of herself, she asked, "Whose idea was it? To ask me?" By now, she was growing accustomed to the Looks that sometimes passed between the two, although she wasn't yet familiar with either to realize what those particular Looks meant. And if she wasn't so anxious, she would have face-palmed in sheer embarrassment.

"It was Jack's idea. . .I'm auxiliary, if I'm anything. He did ask me if I thought you'd be interested, and I told him that it was worth asking," Lacey replied gently, her eyes warm with affection. She squeaked as Suzie threw her arms around her and hugged her fiercely. It was the first time she ever hugged Lacey, first time she hugged someone in a long time. But Lacey wrapped her arms around Suzie in turn, holding her securely and stroking a hand gently over Suzie's hair as the British girl breathed, '_thank you, oh thank you so much_.'

"In answer to your question, as soon as you give your two week notice, Suzie. I'll start working on adding you to our system and get your badge set up. Welcome to Torchwood, Suzie Costello," Jack replied, huffing a little as Suzie released Lacey to squeeze him, too. He winked at his wife over Suzie's head, returning the embrace gently. And to her amazement, as Jack held her, Suzie actually felt safe. Not just because she instituted the contact, but because. . .she felt safe. As if Jack would physically put himself between her and any danger that came along. Jack added, "Twenty-first century is when everything changes. . ."

"And we've gotta be ready," Lacey chimed in. There was a mock growl from Jack, but Suzie didn't care as she hugged Jack yet again. She had a new job and a new future. And oh, how she would _shine_!

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Late that night, now alone in their flat together, Jack Harkness watched his wife slowly undress. In the weeks since her miscarriage and the murder-suicide that left Jack in charge of Torchwood, most of his time was spent dealing with everything Alex left behind. And while the man had been a good Director and good administrator, there was a particular mess left behind that Jack never really suspected. Dealing with that particular situation took up most of his time, and what prompted Jack to consider hiring someone new when Lacey mentioned how bored and unhappy Suzie was at her job.

But now, it was time to tell Lacey what he had been doing while she recovered her strength and attended her therapy sessions. She wanted him to at least talk to someone, but that was. . .he would deal with his grief and guilt his own way. Oh, in his mind, he knew that nothing he had done caused his child's death, but just like Lacey, it was hard to accept that. Since he couldn't save their baby, he focused his attention on taking care of Lacey when he could and taking care of the lost souls now under his care the rest of the time. At the very least, when the Doctor came, if he was gone longer than he anticipated, Lacey would be able to do what was necessary for the lost souls. He hated that she might have to take up that burden, but Rose told him about the Doctor returning her a year after their departure, rather than the few hours he intended.

As Lacey slipped into bed beside him, her long dark hair now loose about her shoulders, Jack pulled her against his body and she happily cuddled close. He kissed the top of her head, murmuring, "Got something to tell you." She slid her arms around him, pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder, and then laid her head on his chest. Jack recognized the pose. . .it meant that she was listening. And so, he told her, "That night. . .while I was cleaning up the Hub, I found something. Or someone. Several someones. I've told you about the Rift and how it takes things and people? Sometimes, it returns those things and those people." Lacey froze and Jack told her about those whom the Rift returned. She lifted her head from his chest so they could meet each other's eyes, but Lacey's hand began to stroke his hip. It was, he realized after the first few times she did it, a way to calm them both.

"What's going to happen to them? You're telling me this for a reason," Lacey finally observed. Jack nodded and with a deep breath, told her about Flat Holm Island and the facility that would house and care for the Rift returnees who were unable to take care of themselves or unable to find a place in society. He already made arrangements to start interviewing staff to take care of the returnees and sent requisitions for additional supplies. And he ended up telling her more than he planned, as he also explained that if there was a way to ease them back into society, he wanted to find it. But. . .he was afraid they were too traumatized. When he finished, he stared at his wife, wondering what she was thinking. At length, she asked softly, "You've done this, all of this, in less than three weeks?" He nodded. . .there was still a lot to do, but he got things started. Lacey shook her head and murmured, "I am so proud of you. You're still reeling from everything that's happened, and already, you're working on a way to resolve this situation. Where are they staying in the meantime? I'm guessing not in a hotel?"

"No," Jack admitted reluctantly, "I moved them to a Torchwood safe house and have an old friend looking after them." He could have told her that it was a former lover. . .Lacey didn't tend to be jealous, especially not when it was a lover from before she was even born. But mentioning former lovers did have a rather interesting affect on his wife's libido. . .and sex was out of the question for a little while longer. Lacey was already chomping at the bit, but Jack was remaining firm on this. There would be no lovemaking until she received the release from her doctor. He wasn't willing to risk her a second time. Not when he still had nightmares about seeing the blood soaking through her trousers.

And fortunately, she wasn't interested in arguing about sex right now (although, the way her fingertips kept circling his nipples, she might be gearing up for one). Instead, she observed, "Yeah, can't imagine you'd want to leave them in the Hub by themselves. Even if there is just one person looking after them, they have a warm place to sleep and food. I am so proud of you, Jack. Maybe they'll never be able to return to the lives they had before, but maybe they will. What about their families? I'm assuming that the Rift isn't real picky about who it takes." No, definitely not picky. It took fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, and sometimes even children. And he thought of that, it was just. . .

"I don't know, Lacey. I don't want to keep families separated, but the way some of these people are when they come back? It seems cruel to let the families think they're dead or lost, but it may be crueler for them to see what's been done to the people they love," Jack told his wife and Lacey abandoned her attempts to drive him insane, choosing instead to hugging him tightly, before pressing a soft kiss to his chest. He thought about Jackie Tyler, imagined her trying to track down every lead she could find for her daughter during that year she feared Rose was lost to her. But not all mothers were like Jackie Tyler. . .not everyone was strong enough to handle the truth when they saw what the Rift could do. There was always such a fine line at Torchwood: things that seemed compassionate at first glance ended up being horrifically cruel, and things that seemed cruel were revealed to be compassionate. Jack had to do what was best for his new charges. . .even if that seemed to be cruel to their families.

"I wish I knew what to say. . .wish I could help in some way. All of this is still so new to me," Lacey admitted. Jack stroked her cheek with his knuckles. It helped. She helped. Just by listening, she helped. He wasn't real thrilled with the notion that she was working for Torchwood in any way, shape, or form, but he couldn't deny that the information she gathered then put into the system helped with the subsequent missions. He still didn't want her to become a field operative, but he would accept any support she gave him. Jack had the uncomfortable feeling that he would need all the support he could get. . . UNIT seemed very displeased that Jack was now the Director of Torchwood Three, such as it was, and Yvonne Hartman?

Well, he would be cutting ties with her. And the charter, designating the Doctor as Public Enemy Number One? Already gone for Torchwood Three. He couldn't do anything about what Torchwood One (yet), but he would continue to protect and deflect attention from the Doctor as much as possible. He was musing about what other things would be necessary when Lacey began stroking his chest again and murmured, "Jack? Is this place an institution, like a hospital?" He blinked and looked at her, nodding slowly. Lacey was frowning thoughtfully as she continued, "Before I worked up the courage to ask Alex if there was something I could do for Torchwood, I did a lot of needlepoint projects and knitting, things to keep my hands and mind occupied. The really good ones I sent to Mama, Daddy, and the girls, but the fair ones I kept. Maybe I could give them to Flat Holm? What do you think?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask about what, and why the hospital would need the items she mentioned, but fortunately, his brain engaged before his mouth did. Even if Lacey's needlepoint and knitting didn't do anything for the inhabitants of Flat Holm, there was also the matter of the staff. He said slowly, "I think my wife is a lovely, amazing, generous young woman, and I am incredibly lucky to have her in my life. Put your handiwork in the foyer, and I'll box it up. Even if the inhabitants can't appreciate them, I'm pretty sure the staff will." That earned him a wide, happy grin and Jack leaned forward to kiss the corners of her mouth.

"I can't be a proper Torchwood operative, Jack. I accepted that a long time ago. I mean, yeah, I did kill that bounty hunter, but that was pure luck. And I still have nightmares of it gutting you," Lacey acknowledged, her fingers sliding across his abdomen where he was ripped open. Jack shuddered, partly at the reminder and partly at the sensations evoked by his wife's touch. She continued after a moment, "But this? This I can do. And if you don't mind, I can ask Mama to send us Bronnie's pictures and sketches. I won't tell her where they're going, exactly, just that they'll be brightening up a hospital."

Jack wasn't too sure about that, but he was always game for seeing his young sister-in-law's sketches, and so he agreed. With that settled, Lacey settled against his side once more, fingers moving in soothing strokes across his skin. He kissed the top of her head, quietly proud of his wife, for so many reasons. Jack felt her breathing even out as she fell asleep, but kept stroking her hair. Lacey's suggestions shouldn't have been as surprising as they were, not when Corinna believed that it wasn't just grand gestures and sweeping changes that made things better, but little things. Little things could mean the whole world. . .just as the petite woman in his arms meant so much to him. He smiled and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Suzie:  Redefining Normal

Author's Notes: And here is the second half of Suzie's tale! It will be mostly Suzie's perspective, with a bit of commentary from Jack and Lacey. I like the idea of writing Suzie while she was innocent, before she started her downward spiral. . .and I'm playing with the idea of keeping her alive. I don't like doing what everyone else does. . .because a) everyone else has done it and b) it isn't a lot of fun for me to write. So Suzie is neither a monster nor a poor widdle victim, but somewhere in between the two. As to the rest of the story. . .there will be an interlude after this chapter, followed by Tosh and Owen's stories. Those segments will NOT be a retelling of what we saw in '_Fragments_.' After all, we've already seen that.

Chapter Three

Suzie: Redefining Normal

Cardiff, Wales, UK

January 2001

"They what?"

Suzie winced as soon as she heard herself, especially since Jack looked utterly exhausted and more than a little ruffled. In the year since she'd met her boss, she'd never seen him look like this. A quick look at Lacey told her that she was just as worried as Suzie. Jack said quietly, elaborating on what he just told the two young women, "A new Torchwood team will be assuming responsibility for the Rift. There are a few things in play right now. First, apparently Alex didn't follow the proper protocol to put me in charge of Torchwood Three when he killed himself and the rest of the team last year. Second, during my conversation with her Majesty, I was informed of something new, suggested by General Something-or-other. It's a pilot program, based on a military model, and evidently, it's an attempt to reduce the number of casualties among Torchwood field operatives. Lacey, you're familiar with the idea. A new team rotates into Cardiff every few years. If it works here, they'll start to phase it in for London. As to what happens to us? Since UNIT has branches in the States, the Crown has asked me to do the same with Torchwood."

"As to point two. . .okay, I can actually see that. I don't think they mean the Roswell, Area Fifty-One types, either. I'm curious to know how that will work, but I can see why the Crown would want Torchwood branches in the US and Canada. But to the first? Seriously? Your predecessor didn't follow protocol? There's actually a protocol for killing oneself and one's team, and choosing your successor. More to the point. . .they're telling you this now? Jack, you've been in charge of Torchwood Three for a year!" Suzie retorted, and quickly regretted it. Jack wouldn't talk about whatever was said during his meeting, but he obviously was just as unhappy about this situation as Suzie herself was. During the year she had known Jack and Lacey, Suzie came to realize that Jack often disguised sorrow with laughter. So for him to show his distress. . .? Not good.

"Preachin' to the choir here, Suzie," Lacey interposed quietly. Suzie blinked, running the familiar phrase through her mind, and then realized what her friend was saying. Right. She wasn't saying anything that Jack and Lacey didn't know. Lacey continued, "She has a good point, though, sweetheart. Why is the Crown doing this now, a year after Alex gave you control of Torchwood Three? I don't think it has anything to do with incorrect paperwork or improperly-filled out paperwork. This sounds like something else. . .politics?" Suzie almost laughed at the disgust in her friend's voice. She knew that Lacey's father was a career soldier and her maternal grandfather was a diplomat, so Lacey's aversion to politics was even stronger than the average person's was. Oh, Lacey's dad knew how to use politics to his advantage and he was quite good at it, but he wasn't especially fond of it.

"Got it in one, m'love. Yvonne Hartman is seriously NOT happy that Alex chose his own successor. She was even less pleased when I cut off all ties between Torchwood One and Torchwood Three. Technically, they are correct. . .the Crown is supposed to choose the new leader of each Torchwood branch. However, the Queen doesn't want me subservient to the new head of Torchwood Three, so she instituted the pilot program. Thus, we're being reassigned to the States. Her Majesty wants the new team trained before we leave, so I doubt if we'll be leaving any time soon. Maybe by June or July. You gotta love politics," Jack said, sounding more than a little bitter.

The two girls exchanged a worried look. Suzie never heard Jack sound like this, and while she didn't know what caused such bitterness in Jack's voice, she did know her friend and boss. He rubbed his hand over his face, asking, "Lace, can you do me a favor and get the whiskey out of my office? I have a feeling that all three of us will need it." Lacey bobbed her head and left the conference room, but not before pressing a soft kiss into his hair. Jack looked up at her with a weak smile, but after she departed, so did the smile. He buried his face in his hands, sighing. Suzie reached over, her fingers encircling his wrist. He raised his head and offered her a half-hearted smile, one that didn't even come close to reaching his eyes, saying softly, "I'm sorry, Suzie, if you don't want to join us in the States, I definitely understand. . ."

"No," Suzie said definitively, "I'm coming with you." That made Jack smile, but Suzie was one hundred percent serious. After everything she saw and experienced since she joined Torchwood, that was never in question. In the beginning, she believed that she was finding something more in line with her talents. Actually loving her job never entered her mind, but she did. She loved her job, and just as importantly, she loved Jack and Lacey. Suzie thought briefly about telling him about her father and everything that went with that, but chose not to. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. The truth was, Suzie trusted Jack Harkness far more than she trusted anyone in a long time, far more than she trusted most men. Which she found rather odd on occasion, given his tendency to flirt with everyone he encountered, but no matter how much he flirted, there was no question in Suzie's mind that Lacey came first in his heart.

The young lady in question returned to the conference room, carrying the requested whiskey. Jack reached behind him for three mugs and poured a generous helping of the liquor into each mug. Distributing them quickly, he explained about an operation gone wrong several years earlier, resulting in his departure from the UK and his meeting Lacey. Suzie nodded thoughtfully. Jack's story explained so much about him. She also realized that regardless of the official story, this operation gone bad had far more to do with their upcoming departure than Jack was willing to tell them. It didn't matter. Suzie told him the truth when she informed Jack that she was going with them. And Lacey. . . If Lacey was thrilled about going home to the States, to her parents and sisters, it was locked behind a carefully blank face, and Suzie loved her friend all the more for that. She came to realize over the last few months that Lacey truly wasn't happy in Cardiff, though she worked hard to keep Jack from realizing that fact. He was home and that made him happy.

"You know. . .you probably aren't ready to hear a silver lining to this ugly little business, Jack, but I can think of one positive thing to come out of this," Lacey said quietly, right around the time that Suzie noticed she wasn't drinking any of her whiskey. What the hell? Lacey was no alcoholic, but this was the first time she ever saw her friend turn down whiskey! For his own part, Jack turned a tired but hopeful smile toward his wife, and she said softly, blushing a little, "It's a silver lining for me, at least, though I hate to see you hurting and I'm furious that this is happening to you. But. . .I get to be around everyone I love when the newest member of the family joins us."

It took Suzie several seconds to understand what her friend meant. Newest mem. . .no alco. . . Lacey met her eyes, smiling shyly, and nodded. Suzie squealed with joy and lunged out of her chair to envelop the American girl in a fierce embrace. Lacey was shaking with laughter and maybe tears as well, but she hugged back with all the strength in her small body. Over Lacey's shoulder, Suzie could still see Jack trying to work out exactly what Lacey was saying. She rolled her eyes. _Men_! How was it that a man as smart as Jack could be so damn dense? To help him along, she asked, "Do I get to be 'Aunt Suzie,' then?" So far as Suzie was concerned, Jack and Lacey were her only family. And her question provoked another giggle from Lacey as she bobbed her head against Suzie's shoulder.

"Oh, God. . .you mean you're. . .? We're going to. . .? Lacey?" Jack finally breathed and Suzie rolled her eyes yet again. Seriously, men! Even one as smart as Jack was. . .well, under the circumstances, she supposed she could forgive him. With that in mind, she released Lacey, who approached her husband with a shy smile. Jack's hands migrated to Lacey's hips, his eyes roving up and down her body, before he repeated his wife's name in a whispered, "Lacey?" And was there more than a touch of pleading in his voice? Suzie looked from the husband to the wife. Lacey's smile was utterly radiant as she took Jack's hand and placed it low on her midriff.

"We're going to have a baby, Jack. I'm three and a half months along, and the doctor sees no reason why I shouldn't carry to term. I'm sorry I told you like this, I was gonna tell you tonight, but. . .mmmmph!" Lacey said, but whatever she meant to say was cut off when Jack swept her up into his arms and snogged her quite thoroughly. Suzie was laughing and crying, covering her mouth with both hands as the thoroughly-excited Captain danced his wife around the conference room. Lacey was giggling like a little girl, clinging to Jack, who finally settled her on her feet again. She asked once her lips were free, eyes dancing with laughter and joy, "You're happy?"

"Oh, my Lacey, my beautiful, amazing, wonderful Lacey-girl, happy doesn't even begin to approach. . . Okay, that settles it. From this point forward, you don't do anything dealing with Torchwood. I know, I know, I know. . .just doing needlepoint and knitting is asking too much of you, but you have your degree in history. I don't mind if you do something else, just nothing to do with Torchwood. I am not risking you or our baby," Jack said, snapping into Captain mode. But it wasn't really Captain mode, was it? He was protecting his wife and unborn child, and one thing Suzie learned during the months she worked for Torchwood. . .operatives rarely lived to see thirty-five, much less long enough to become a pensioner. If Lacey remained in Torchwood, she was placing her life and the life of her baby in danger.

"I know, Jack. I know. When you know where we're going, I'll see if the historical society in the area needs help. You're really okay with this? I know we never really talked about children after. . ." Lacey began, her voice growing strained. Suzie had the sense that both soon-to-be parents forgot that she was there, and for some reason, she wasn't bothered. But, that didn't mean she was leaving the room. Lacey made it clear to her that she was part of their family. Even so, that didn't stop her from averting her eyes when Jack snogged Lacey yet again. There were some things she didn't need to see.

TWTWTWTWTW

"So. . .you're really all right with the baby? Like I said, we never really talked about it, and I did kind of spring it on you unexpectedly," Lacey murmured that night in the camp bed where Jack slept when he stayed overnight at the Hub. It was one of the few places in their flat or in the Hub where they hadn't made love yet. . .at least until tonight. Jack hummed softly and Lacey smiled down at him indulgently as she continued to run her fingers through his hair. His head rested lightly on her chest and his arms were wrapped possessively around her waist.

If this was what she had to look forward to while she was pregnant. . .well, she was perfectly all right with that. In the hours since she told him about the baby, Jack began treating her like a piece of fine china. Of course, she didn't think she could handle being treated like a piece of fragile pottery, but she could definitely handle the cuddling. There was also the question of what being pregnant would do to her libido. Her mother told her more than once that she couldn't keep her hands off Lacey's father during each of her three pregnancies. TMI, but that was life. For that matter, she was mentally scarred for days after her then-twelve year old sister told her about the conversations she overheard in the girls' locker room.

"Far beyond okay with the baby. Definitely okay with the idea of you being surrounded by your family while you're pregnant. In fact, if the Hub wasn't being turned over to the new team, I probably would have sent you back to the States. Not okay with the rest of the mess," Jack replied. Lacey snorted and began stroking his hair again. Yeah, that last bit went without saying. Jack said softly, "I have to figure out a way to take care of Flat Holm. . .the staff and the residents. Got a bad feeling about the new team. Any ideas, pretty lady?" Lacey snickered, trailing her fingers down to rub the nape of his neck. Jack groaned, "Oh, that feels _really_ good."

"It's supposed to feel good, dingbat," Lacey retorted and felt Jack's laughter. She smiled, kissed the top of his head, and continued, "And good luck with sending me away from your side. I'm your wife, Jack, I belong with you. And before you say anything about protecting me from the Rift or from old enemies, all I have to say is, I'm safer with you than away from you. Big kaboom, remember? As to Flat Holm. . .if you don't trust the new team, what about the former lover who took care of the refugees after you evacuated them from the Hub? Is there any way he could ferry them to Flat Holm or set up a way he can find them when the Rift spits them out?"

"Point taken," Jack acknowledged wryly, "Even though I know you won't put your desire to return to me over the safety of our child. And I might be able to do that. Just hate the idea of him doing my job. It's my responsibility, not his. Oh, and how did you figure out that the friend who was taking care of the Rift refugees last year was a former lover?" Lacey smirked and simply continued the massage. She really needed to start taking better care of him. Yes, she was pregnant and had to take care of herself and the baby, but she also needed to take care of Jack. Despite what he said, he really wasn't very good at looking after himself.

"I know you, Jack, just like I know that Estelle Cole is a former love of yours. I haven't said anything to her, but I'm pretty sure she knows that you're her Jack," Lacey pointed out. Jack sighed, sounding tired, and Lacey kissed the top of his head again, adding, "I was noncommittal, but you need to be aware of that situation, and maybe think about telling Estelle the truth." Jack's arms tightened around her and Lacey bit her lip. She knew he feared a repeat of the events of 1928, when he hung by his wrists in a New York basement while people killed him repeatedly because of a lover who betrayed his trust. Her arms tightened around him in turn.

She learned about the horror of that particular night about three weeks before they were married, on a night when Jack believed she should know exactly what she was getting herself into. She wept for her fiancé and stroked his hair as he wept in her lap. But, as was her custom when Jack told her about past hurts, Lacey kept her own counsel. She was torn between her protective feelings for the man she loved and the knowledge that Angelo (the boy in question, last name never mentioned) tried to make things right with the man they both loved. She also knew that Angelo was a frightened boy, not a malicious man. . .and that these events took place long before she was born, long before her parents were born, and that Angelo was most likely dead.

"Get more than you bargained for?" Jack asked softly, changing the subject away from past loves. Lacey went with the flow. . .Jack talked about things when he was ready to talk about them. And if you tried to get him to talk on your terms, rather than on his own, he'd close up tighter than Fort Knox. Lacey learned that when she was a child, observing one of her mother's attempts to get Jack to open up about what caused his exile from the UK. He never lost his temper. . .but the harder she pushed, the quieter he became. It was telling to Lacey that by the time she was ten, she knew Jack's silences nearly as well as she knew his smiles.

"If you're asking me if I'd want to marry a so-called normal man, the answer is, no flippin' way. Does Torchwood do a number on my understanding of the world and my place in it? Abso-fragging-lutely. But Jack, I could have never handled a normal life, not after growing up the way I did! You. . .you're worth all of this. Did I get more than I bargained for? Of course I did, everyone who ever gets married finds themselves in that situation. Do I regret it? Not a chance in hell," Lacey replied firmly. Jack lifted his head and shifted his body so that he hovered over her, as he did so often when they were making love. He stared down at her, his blue eyes focused solely on her, making her wonder what he was seeing.

At last, he said softly, "I hope you'll still feel that way when you realize that I'm not changing or aging." The way Lucia did, the way others did during the course of Jack's life. And what really hurt was the resignation in Jack's voice: not self-pity, only acceptance. Lacey reached up and stroked his face. She thought about that sometimes, about how she would feel once she appeared older than her husband. She couldn't see the future, but she knew there were people now who couldn't figure out what Jack could see in a little nothing like her. Oh, she knew she wasn't a little nothing, but she wasn't as pretty as Suzie, or her own mother, for that matter.

"You know, Jack, a lot of people can't figure out why someone as gorgeous as you are would even look at me once, much less twice," Lacey began and had the joy of seeing Jack's blue eyes narrow. She always loved when he got that look in his eyes. Things would likely get. . .hot. . . later. But for now, she continued, "I figure that when I start aging and you don't, I'll get all sorts of Looks, wondering what an ugly old broad has to attract a hot young stud. Maybe they'll think you're my boy-toy." She grinned up at him, giggling a little when he growled at her.

"You are NOT ugly and anyone who tells you that you are will find out just how much of a boy-toy I am," he answered and Lacey beamed up at him, her hands leaving his face to stroke down his sides. Jack continued to stare down at her, though his breath caught in his throat as she continued her light caresses. He repeated, "You're beautiful to me, Alexandra Elizabeth, and you'll be beautiful to me even when you're old and gray. I don't care what they say about me, but no one bad-mouths you."

"Remember that in a few months when I'm as big as a house and crankier than a. . .well, when I'm worse than when Auntie Flo arrives and we're out of chocolate," Lacey answered dryly. Jack's eyes swept over her again, as if imagining her heavy with child, with his child, and his expression when he looked at her in the eye again made her mouth go dry. And then he smiled down at her. . .not his mega-watt grin or the amused smirk, but a sweet, impossibly tender smile that still had the effect of taking her breath away. She still managed to squeak out, "I love to hear you sing, Jack, you know this. . .but so help me, you start singing '_Havin' My Baby_,' and I'll impair your ability to sire any more kids."

That made him laugh and shattered the moment, and he lowered his head down to kiss her thoroughly, murmuring against her lips, "That wouldn't be the only thing impaired, which would be a bad thing for both of us." Oh, she couldn't argue with that. . .well, she could, she supposed, but she would be lying. Jack added, "And really? '_Havin My Baby_.' REALLY? Do I even _want _ to know where that came from?" Lacey shook with silent laughter, not just at the thorough disbelief in his voice, but at the utterly gob-smacked look on his face. Oh, she loved it when she did that to him, she absolutely loved it!

"Uhm, Suzie and I were watching the first '_Look Who's Talking_' movie the other night while you were at Flat Holm," Lacey replied, grinning up at him. Jack simply blinked and she realized that he probably had no clue what she was talking about. Well, that was fair enough. There were many times when she had no effing clue what he was talking about, either. However, for the moment, she only said, "It was a series of movies back in the late eighties and early nineties, about talking babies. In the first movie, the baby's father starts singing '_Havin' My Baby_' when he finds out about the pregnancy, and the mother threatens to throw up." Lacey thought about that for a few seconds, and then added, "You know, I really can't blame her."

"That makes two of us. Ugh. Nope, not doing that," Jack replied and kissed her again. Lacey sighed happily and Jack murmured, "Don't imagine I need to tell you that I'm gonna be even more overprotective than I already seem to be and will drive you utterly insane?" She squeezed him in response, and Jack continued, "On the other hand, you are married to the only man on earth who does actually know what it's like to be pregnant." Lacey's mind threatened to shut down at that particular revelation. She was cursed, or blessed, with a vivid imagination, and there were just some things she didn't want to imagine. This was at the top of the list.

"Thank you for not telling me that while I was eating or drinking something. I really don't want to find out what death by asphyxiation feels like," she choked out finally. Jack laughed softly and Lacey continued, "No, really. Was this while you were in your own century? Never mind, of course it was, how silly of me to ask." It was so rare that Jack talked about his past, she couldn't help but be curious. Even after nearly four years of marriage and eleven years of (mostly) mature friendship, there was still so much about him that she didn't know. Mama believed something terrible happened when he was a boy, because of how he reacted to a then-four-year-old Lacey getting lost at the zoo. Lacey didn't remember what happened, exactly. . . apparently, she was separated from her parents and Jack, and Jack nearly came unglued. She didn't leave his arms for the rest of the day. Not that the toddler Lacey had an issue with that, according to her parents, already terrified by her impromptu adventure.

"Yeah. . .my time," Jack answered softly, reminding Lacey of her initial question. She looked up into her husband's eyes, and saw an ancient sadness. There were times when she wondered about the things he saw and experienced during those years before what changed him. On occasion, especially after they moved to Cardiff, Lacey received a glimpse of the ruthless side of him. She also saw the consequences when someone didn't listen to him. . .those consequences were often deadly, to whoever ignored him and to Jack himself. Lacey didn't always like the things her husband did to protect others, but she understood they were necessary. . .and that Jack would always have to live with those decisions, whether they were right, wrong, or a strange combination thereof.

"Hey," Lacey whispered, drawing Jack's attention back to her. He smiled at her again, and Lacey told him, "I'm grateful that you're my husband, Jack. Beyond anything else, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the way you take care of me when I'm tired and cranky and crampy, and the way you hold me when I'm in danger of turning into the Waterworks. There are times when you drive me nuts and times when I wonder what I was thinking. But that's true no matter who. . . that would have been true no matter whom I married. Something I learned from Mama. I don't want to be married to anyone else. Just to you. I'm grateful, and I'm proud, to be your wife."

Jack's expression was unreadable, but he answered, "No regrets then?" She shook her head firmly, maintaining eye contact all the while. Jack relaxed and folded himself down against her body again, laying his head on her chest trustingly. Lacey began stroking his hair once more. He murmured sleepily, "You're gonna be such a good mom, Lacey. Take care of me, take care of Suzie. . .even take care of the Rift-refugees. Took really good care of Alex and the others, too." Lacey blinked back tears. . .it was rare, those occasions when he spoke of his late team. She rubbed her hand along his back and bowed shoulders, smiling at the way he was curved around her body.

"And you," Lacey murmured as Jack's muscles relaxed under her touch, "are gonna be an amazing daddy." Even while she was growing up, she knew that Jack would be a terrific father, given half a chance. Lacey meant to see that he had that chance this time around. While Jack was dealing with the first segment of the turnover, she called her parents to let them know about their future grandchild. During that conversation, she extracted a promise from her mother. . .that the Keller family would never let her run away from Jack with their child. . .with their children. Not again. Never again.

TWTWTWTWTW

Cardiff, Wales, UK

March 2001

Six and a half weeks after receiving word that a new team would take over in Cardiff, Suzie received a rather mysterious email, asking her to meet the individual on the Plass. The email was from someone within Torchwood, and the request was to meet in a public place. Suzie wasn't entirely sure if she was curious. . .or simply wanted to know whom to rake over the coals. Yes, all of Torchwood answered to the Crown, but she had the feeling someone got to Jack before the Queen had the opportunity to speak with him.

Either way, she sent her agreement back, adding she would meet this person on the Plass during her lunch break. Jack was out of the Hub for most of the day, a mysterious trip that he took once a week when the Rift was quiet, and a trip that always resulted in her friend having haunted eyes for the rest of the day when he returned. Lacey knew what was going on, whatever it was, and she always looked worried when Jack left and even more worried when he returned. Despite his vow that she would have nothing to do with Torchwood during her pregnancy, both Jack and Suzie came to realize that Lacey's assistance was still needed with administrative duties. As long as she stayed in Jack's office or the conference, Jack seemed to be more relaxed.

Suzie wanted to tease Jack about his protective attitude toward his pregnant wife, until she remembered how she met the pair, and talked to a few of her former colleagues who actually saw Jack bring Lacey into hospital that night. They lost their child the first time. . .Jack knew that under different circumstances, he could have lost Lacey herself. She was five months pregnant now, and to Jack, she was growing more vulnerable with each passing day. It wouldn't surprise Suzie if her boss asked her to take Lacey to the States before the Hub was actually turned over to the new people. Nor would she argue. She was already prepared, making sure she had all the necessary paperwork and documents.

"Ah, Suzie Costello. . .the woman who makes the Hub run, or so I hear," an unfamiliar voice said. The Torchwood operative swore under her breath as she turned to face whoever spoke. _Not good, Suze_, she reminded herself, _and that's an outstanding way to get into trouble. Very bad trouble_. The newcomer was in his early forties and. . .nondescript. If someone asked her what he looked like (which she knew Jack would once she told him about this meeting), she'd have trouble answering. Nothing stood out, he was just. . .there. Maybe it was unfair, but after working with Jack Harkness for a year, she expected more.

"And you're the mysterious entity who emailed, wanting a private meeting with me. Well, here I am. What do you want to talk about?" Suzie asked, gesturing to herself. She immediately distrusted the smug smile which crossed the man's face. Oh, she knew this kind, had known his kind her entire life. And the smug smile didn't go away, though it lessened a bit. Good. Suzie decided to make him more uncomfortable, snapping, "OI! Limited schedule here, I do want to eat sometime today, you know!"

She had the immense pleasure of seeing the smile drop further, but he straightened his shoulders and said, "As you wish, Miss Costello. I have been authorized by the true director of Torchwood Three to offer you a position within our organization." Suzie's hackles immediately rose at this insult to Jack. True director, was it? Under any other circumstances, she could have had sympathy for whoever was sent to talk to her. After all, they were just doing their jobs, and this wasn't a pleasant business. However, she really didn't care for his attitude toward Jack. Oh, no. She didn't care for it all.

Suzie replied, "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm going to the States with Jack and Lacey. Don't have anything left to keep me in Britain. If that was all you wanted to ask me, you could have just sent an email for that. I need to eat and then get back to work. I'm leaving with Lacey for the States, Jack's staying just long enough to educate you twats about the Rift and what you'll need to know. Seems some berk threatened his wife, who is five months pregnant." The man's face paled, especially when Suzie added in a low voice, "And I told Her Majesty's representative about that threat. I don't think Her Majesty will be real impressed with someone who authorizes a threat against a rival's pregnant wife, particularly not when that wife has already suffered one miscarriage."

"That, Miss Costello, was a very big mistake," the man hissed, stepping closer. Suzie fought the inclination to run away, to hide, to (_ohpleasedaddynoplease_!), and instead, stood her ground. She wasn't that little girl any more, and this little bureaucrat wouldn't turn her into that little girl again. He was surprised by her stoic expression, but pressed on, "I have made you an offer, and I've been authorized to take any appropriate actions with regards to your father." If he was surprised when Suzie didn't give an inch, he was utterly shocked when Suzie threw back her head and laughed aloud.

"Really? That's your way of making me reconsider? To threaten my father?" Suzie mocked, still laughing at the man's stunned expression. She leaned forward, dropping her voice several octaves as she told him, "By all means, be my guest. Do whatever you want to do, I'll leave Britain with a clear conscience. Now understand me and understand me well. You don't care anything about me or how I operate within the Hub. You don't care about what I can do for Torchwood. All you care about is taking me away from Jack, and that's not gonna happen. He saw me when few others did, and gave me a purpose, he opened up my world. So if you think you're going to turn me against him, think again. It's gonna take something out of this world to do that, not some pathetic little man. Now, run back to your boss and tell him, '_thanks but no thanks_.' I'm happy with this Torchwood team."

"You heard the lady. Go. And if you ever threaten my wife or my team again, I'll make you wish you'd never been born," Jack said coldly. Suzie turned to find him standing just a few yards away, Lacey tucked against his side. She looked back at the new Torchwood Three. . . whatever he was. . .who was staring at Jack in utter shock. Her friend snapped, "GO! I have no trouble overlooking threats and attacks against myself, I've been taking care of myself since I was thirteen years old, but you do not get to threaten or hurt the people who matter to me." _Wait, what. . .?_ What did he mean by that? Suzie thought of Jack's disheveled appearance months earlier when he arrived back at the Hub to tell her and Lacey about their reassignment in the new pilot program, and she **growled**.

"You son of a bitch. . .you had Jack. . .you had someone hurt him! That's why Her Majesty's representative has been so inclined to grant our requests, even before I told him about the threat to Lacey! You or your boss, they had someone hurt Jack, but they got caught! What, you had him roughed up right before the Queen summoned him or something? How many men did it take, four or five, 'cause there's no way a little nothing like you could have taken Jack!" Suzie snarled, taking a step forward. The man actually squeaked and back-pedaled quickly away from the enraged woman. It was bad enough when they were simply taking Torchwood Three away from Jack for this pilot program, but they hurt him and they threatened to hurt Lacey as well.

She would have likely killed the bastard. She really would have. . .when she thought about it later, she realized that she would have had no issue with killing him at all. But Jack said simply, "Suzie. He's not worth it. Nor am I, and I need you to take care of Lacey until I finish things up here." Suzie swallowed hard, bit down on her lower lip, and forced herself to re-focus her attention on what was truly important. She offered a feral smile to the little man now cowering away from her and wondering why his bosses wanted her in Torchwood Three.

"If you believe in God at all," she hissed, "when you say your prayers tonight, be sure to thank Him for Jack Harkness, because he is the _only_ reason you're still alive." She glowered at him a moment longer, then deliberately turned her back on him. Suzie had no fear that he would try to attack her. Jack would make sure that he tried no such thing. She walked back to her friends and Lacey took her hand, smiling at her reassuringly. Suzie swallowed hard, seeing the affection and concern in the familiar dark eyes.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked softly. She looked up at her boss, her friend, who just warned off a man who threatened to hurt Suzie and Lacey because Suzie said 'no.' She looked at her friend, who was hurt by that man's bosses before the Queen had a chance to speak to him, and she flung herself into his arms. He kissed the top of her head, murmuring, "I told them to do their worst, but if they hurt either of you, I'd wipe them off the face of the planet. The Queen probably wouldn't argue with me, either. But I want the two of you on a plane out of here by the end of the week. I've already made the arrangements with an old friend of mine. Lacey, you remember Mike Franks, he left NCIS after the embassy bombings a few years back. He's going to meet the two of you in Mexico City and drive you north to Indiana and your parents."

"Going off the grid a bit to make sure all bases are covered?" Lacey asked and Jack nodded grimly. They wouldn't be really going off-grid from what Suzie could tell, just making it a helluva lot harder on anyone who wanted to get to Jack through his wife. Lacey explained to Suzie, "Mike Franks is a former special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Services, and he's an old friend of Jack and my father's. He retired a few years ago, and he's. . .ah. . . well, he's kinda old-fashioned. Some may call him misogynistic or chauvinistic, and maybe he is, but he's a good man. We can trust him."

"Then that's good enough for me. . .but Jack, who's gonna be watching over you? We've got Mike Franks, but what about you?" Suzie asked, her grip on Lacey tightening as she thought about their replacements hurting Jack, and for what? To scare him into saying '_yes_' to the Queen's proposal? Jack was loyal to the Crown, he wouldn't have liked it, but he would have said '_yes_.' No. No, there was something else going on here, and Suzie meant to find out what that something was.

"I'll be fine. . .but just to be safe, another old friend is going to be watching my back. He helped me in the first weeks after Alex killed himself and the rest of the team," Jack replied. Lacey sagged against Jack, obviously relieved, so that meant she was familiar with this person. Jack hugged her against his side, kissing the top of her head as he observed, "I know, Lacey, you feel better knowing that he's going to be watching my back." Suzie noticed Lacey's expression change from relieved to mischievous, and knew her friend wasn't about to leave that alone. Jack really should have known better than to leave the door wide open like that.

"Back, front, legs. . .doesn't matter to me. Just as long as you're in one piece when you get to the States," she retorted. Jack groaned, Suzie laughed, and Lacey simply smirked, obviously pleased with herself. Suzie was proud of her as well. But even as she and Lacey teased Jack about leaving such an obvious opening, Suzie's mind was whirling. The end of the week, she would be on a plane heading across the Atlantic. Maybe this pilot program would turn out to be a blessing in disguise for all of them.

At the end of the week, as the plane left Heathrow Airport and headed across the Atlantic, Lacey's hand gripping her own, the American girl's eyes shining with excitement, Suzie was sure of it. It was a blessing in disguise, a promise of yet another new start for her, and another chance to redefine normal. She told that little putz that she would need something out of this world to betray Jack Harkness. The truth was, she wasn't even sure if something like that existed, if something like that could exist.

Could it?


	4. A Series of Firsts

Author's Notes: And here we have the interlude. I've seen a lot of the 'five times' stories, and I've never quite been able to do that. So, instead, I chose a series of firsts. First whats? Ahh, now that would be tellin,' me dears! Oh, and we have a few guest characters in this chapter from other fandoms. . .one is Mike Franks from _NCIS_ and the other two are a surprise. They obviously don't belong to me, either. Next up, Tosh.

Chapter Four

A Series of Firsts

The First Time Jack Harkness died for a Keller (_Earning Trust_)

May 1970

Oh God.

He was dead.

Jack was _dead_.

One minute, the two men were ambling alongside the road, talking and laughing. They were walking back to the car after a football game, and as ever, Jack was teasing him. This time, it was because Jack noticed him staring at a beautiful girl. It was hardly the first time that happened, but his friend seemed to think it meant more than it did. During half-time, while he was away getting them something from the refreshment stand, Jack went over to the girl and her friends and in that short amount of time, learned that her name was Corinna Tamsyn Winton, and she was nineteen years old. Jack offered to arrange the meeting, but he said '_no_.'

And Jack, true to form, wasn't going to let it go. He'd been prodding him into asking the girl out when he stopped and frowned thoughtfully. His expression changed to horror and before he had the chance to react, Jack shoved him into the ditch alongside the road. . .and not even ten seconds later, a car without headlights slammed full force into Jack, sending him flying. The car roared on past, not knowing or caring that it had just taken the life of a good man. First Lieutenant John Matthew Keller stumbled toward his fallen friend and knelt in the wet grass, cradling his friend's lifeless body against his chest as he tried to lift Jack up from the ground. . .he wasn't leaving Jack here, not even long enough to get the car!

Thus, he was more than a little shocked when the lifeless body in his arms took a deep, gulping gasp for air, back arching under his hands, before slumping against him weakly. Jack's chest was rising and falling. . .or rather, expanding and contracting. His heart was beating. And he could feel Jack's breath against the short hairs at his neck. John froze, whispering, "Jack?" The head against his shoulder nodded. John could only hold onto his dead-now-alive friend, or maybe he was. . . John whispered, "I shouldn't have moved you, god I'm so sorry, Jack, I thought you were dead. How badly are you hurt?"

"I'm not," came the soft response, "you need to let go of me, John." The lieutenant didn't want to. . .there was a part of him which feared what would happen if he did. If he let go, would Jack die, or worse yet, would it all be a dream? However, Jack's next words dispelled that, as the eternally flirtatious man rasped out, "Much as I've fantasized about this moment over the last five minutes, you really do need to let go of me, John. If you hit me this close, it's gonna hurt like hell." Hit him. . .? John shook his head. Jack wasn't making any sense. . .or rather, making even less sense than normal.

"No one is hitting anybody right now, Jack. We're getting to the car, sitting down, and you're gonna tell me what the hell just happened. Now, you lean on me, 'cause you're shaking like a leaf," John retorted. There was a soft huff of laughter, but Jack, amazingly enough, actually did as he was told for once. They made their way to the car in silence. And for his own part, the lieutenant was running things through his mind. Fact, Jack knew about the car before John did. Fact, when the car struck him, Jack went flying through the air in a way no human ever should, and the lieutenant shuddered as he remembered that horrific sight. Fact, when John reached his side, he was dead. No heart beat, no respiration. Jack was dead. Now he was alive again. Oh yeah. He definitely wanted answers.

However, it was with infinite gentleness that John eased his friend into the car. . .when all was said and done, Jack saved his life. He needed answers, but that could wait. The two men sat in silence for several moments, and then John finally said softly, "What happened back there, Jack? I know you were dead. I checked your vital stats, and you were dead. No heartbeat, no respiration, and the injuries you would have sustained would have been catastrophic. They were catastrophic. You were dead. Now you're alive. How?"

"I don't know," Jack said simply. John looked at his friend, shocked at the quiet resignation in his voice, and Jack continued, "A long time ago, I was involved in a terrible battle. I died. And then I was alive again, and I don't know how it happened. Before you ask the next question, I've lost count of how many times I've died. Several hundred times, at least. I don't know. I truly don't know." There was a long silence, and then Jack started to open the car door, saying, "I'll find my way back to town, John." Again, there was a weary resignation in Jack's voice that was wholly unlike him, and John stared at his friend's back.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going?" he demanded and Jack stopped, half in the car and half out. He turned back to face John, who continued, "What, you thought I'd turn against you because you died saving my life?" Jack's expression said clearly that it wouldn't be the first time it happened, and John sucked in a breath. He reached out and put his hand on Jack's shoulder, saying softly, "You're my friend, Jack. I don't understand what the hell just happened, but I do know I'm grateful to you for saving me, and I'm grateful that you're alive. Now get your ass back in this car, I'm taking you back to your apartment. And no innuendos. . .even if I were inclined, which I'm not, you just died and that would be taking advantage."

"Fine, spoil all my fun," Jack retorted with a mock-pout, but he swung his legs back into the car and closed the door. John started up the car once more, and Jack settled back against the seat. He murmured, "You don't know what you're missing. . .post-death sex is pretty damn amazing. The Irish were onto something, you know. . .screw you, death?" As John pulled onto the highway, he glanced over at Jack, who looked exhausted. Dying was most likely exhausting. The pain alone from the death. . . He wondered briefly how old his friend actually was. He always assumed that Jack was in his mid to late thirties, but. . .

"Trust you to make that connection," John grumbled. A quick glance to his right revealed a faint smile on his friend's face, and John asked softly, "No joking around, no stalling, Jack. . .are you all right?" There was a dip of the other man's head. All right then. The lieutenant next asked, "So, you can't stay dead and now that I think about it, you haven't changed much at all since I met you five years ago. So. How old are you, Jack?" There was a soft sigh, that same weary resignation John noticed earlier.

"Near as I can figure it, I'm a little over a hundred. Looking pretty good, doncha think?" Jack observed. John held his tongue, unsure how to answer. There was a long silence, and then Jack began to talk about arriving on Earth during the last century from a dead satellite two hundred thousand years in the future. He spoke of strange aliens and an institute called Torchwood, and of the mysterious Doctor and Rose. According to Jack, he traveled with the Doctor and Rose for a few months, as best as he could tell, and they made him into a better man. John observed that it was his experience that you couldn't make a grown man into a good man in just a few months. Jack was silent for several moments before saying softly, "You. . .you're giving me too much credit, John. You don't know what I did, what I almost did. I wasn't a good man."

It was John's turn to fall silent while he decided how to respond to Jack's statement. At last, he replied, "You know, you're right. I don't know what mistakes you made, I don't know a lot about you, Jack Harkness. But this I do, without knowing anything at all about you, just from my own experience and my own education: you cannot take a bad kid and make him into a good man in just a few months. You can take a misguided or mixed up kid and set him on the right path. You can give a scared, lonely kid a purpose and something worth fighting for. But you cannot change a person that much in that short amount of time. It doesn't work like that. Maybe your Doctor straightened you out. But he didn't make you into a good man. You did that."

There was another long silence, and then John asked his friend very gently, "Does it hurt, when you die and come back?" Jack nodded, and the lieutenant asked next, "You said that you died many times, too many times to count. Were most of those deaths trying to protect someone else, or at least a fair number of them?" Again, Jack nodded, and Keller finished up with, "Jack, you're more or less immortal. No doubt, you've saved up a lot of money over the decades. Now, if you were truly a bad person, you wouldn't be using your immortality to protect others. No, you don't have to answer that right now, but just think about it. What could an immortal do, if they were a genuinely bad person? Instead, you chose to protect. You made mistakes, you zigged when you should have zagged, you kept your mouth shut when you should have spoken up, but that's all part of being a human being. It doesn't make you bad. . .it makes you human."

Jack didn't speak, but flashed him a quiet smile. And really, that was enough. The two men continued to drive in silence, until John pulled up in front of Jack's apartment building. The (much) older man started to get out of the car, but for the second time in the last hour, John stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder. Jack stayed put and John said very softly, "You're my friend, Jack Harkness. I don't understand how it's possible for you to die and come back to life, but it's enough for me that you do, and that you don't know how it's possible, either. Did you really think that it would make me turn against you?" Jack said nothing, but the shadows in his eyes told the story. . .it wouldn't have been the first time it happened. John tightened his grasp on his friend's shoulder, telling him, "You're my friend. And that's not gonna change. I don't consider you an abomination or a freak or unnatural. You're Jack Harkness, you're my friend, and that is all that matters."

Jack nodded, for once without a smart remark. He eased himself from the car, rubbing the back of his neck, and John added once the door was closed behind him, "But I'm still not sleeping with you, no matter how often you tell me that I'm missing out." That made Jack laugh outright and John drove away with Jack's laughter still ringing in his ears. Jack made the dramatic entrances, but John got the dramatic exits. Worked out well, all the way around.

The first time Jack and Lacey made love (_First Night_)

April 1997

While she was growing up, Lacey Keller Harkness often thought about what it would be like, to have sex. . .to make love. She had her first erotic dream at the age of thirteen about. . .well, whoever she liked when she was thirteen. She imagined the things that her lover would do to her, and what she would do to him. But she never imagined how much the sounds that her lover, her husband, made would affect her. This entire day was a huge education for the brand-new bride. From the vows in front of the justice of the peace to the hand-fasting to the grilling her poor husband endured at the hands of her female relatives. . .and that was before the wedding night. Tonight.

Jack. . .well, Jack was well worth waiting for. Oh, was he worth waiting for! Forget the fantasies, the reality of Jack was far more impressive than any fantasy or dream. He was gentle, breathtakingly gentle, taking his time for her sake (and, he told her through a haze of pleasure, for his own). When she came back to her senses, he was smiling down at her tenderly, sliding his fingers through her hair. They talked in low tones while Lacey regained her strength and her senses about nothing in particular and everything: their wedding, Lacey's wedding dress, her extremely scary female relatives.

But eventually, they both rested, curled around each other, skin against skin, limbs entangled with limbs. She woke up around two am, to find her new husband out of their bed and staring up at the stars through the window. Lacey fought back her sudden terror that Jack was regretting their marriage, wrapped the comforter around herself, and then padded across the floor to wrap her arms and the comforter around her unusually-still husband. In the glass, she saw his smile as his hand settled over her wrists. She kissed the back of his shoulder and Jack turned in her embrace, cradling her against his chest.

"Back to bed, love. . .you're still healing. Don't think I didn't notice you wobbling a few times during the reception, especially after you made that beeline to rescue me from your grandmother and aunts. Which I do appreciate, in case I didn't mention it," Jack murmured and they settled back into bed once more. However, Lacey wasn't inclined to sleep. . .instead, she propped herself on one elbow and traced her husband's features with the pad of a fingertip. Jack's breathing hitched, just a little, and Lacey's fear from a few minutes earlier melted away. She smiled down at him and trailed her finger down the column of his throat, along his collarbone, and he breathed, "What are you doing to me?"

Her smile broadened and she whispered, "I'm returning the favor. . .and I'm exploring my new husband's body. Do you have an objection to that?" Her fingertip encircled his right nipple, drawing another sharp inhale, and then his eyes closed. Oh. He liked that even more when it was flesh against flesh. She continued her caresses, now feathering soft kisses down the column of his throat, following the trail left by the finger now caressing his chest. That drew a moan that turned her knees to jelly. Good thing she was lying down.

"No. . .oh God. . .no objection at all. . .oh, Lacey," Jack gasped, eyes squeezed shut. She continued her exploration of his body, feathering her fingers across his ribcage, along his flanks, down his abdomen and over his hips. Each catch of his breath, every gasp, all of the barely audible moans did as much to increase Lacey's desire as all of Jack's touches. He actually whimpered as her thumbs stroked along the insides of his thighs, carefully avoiding the family jewels. She'd come back to those later. Right now, she was exploring and learning his body, finding his less obvious points of pleasure. Those, she sensed, would be much more fun to tease.

All too soon, she was making her way back up his body once more, now thoroughly committed to drive Jack completely out of his mind. From the sounds he was making and the way his hands were curled into the sheets, it seemed that she was doing just that. There was one time when his hands wandered to her hips, but she gently grasped his wrists and pushed them down to the bed, murmuring that it was her turn to explore and to pleasure him. Showing enormous restraint, Jack acquiesced and kept his fists at his sides while Lacey touched and stroked, kissed and caressed.

When she feared that Jack would actually die, however temporarily, if she didn't grant him release (and she had a pretty good idea of how his body worked), Lacey gathered her fragile courage and slid up to straddle her husband and rode him. Now his arms came up to encircle her waist, drawing her closer to his body, and Lacey clung to him with all of her strength, burying her face in his neck. For the first time, she understood her uncle's concerns about Jack's pheromones, but it no longer mattered. She wanted Jack because she loved him, not because of his pheromones. All right, the second time. . .the first time was when she kissed him in the storage room of the skating rink, but that was when she was nineteen and it didn't really count, and oh God. . . For the second time that night, Lacey saw stars that had nothing to do with far-distant suns.

Once she came back to herself, she found herself plastered across Jack's body, boneless and exhausted. Under her cheek, she could feel Jack's heart racing and his lungs expanding. Neither of them could speak for several moments, and Jack needed a few attempts before his hand curved around the nape of her neck. Lacey used those moments to make sure her own extremities were working and after each limb checked in with an 'all clear,' she pressed a soft kiss to Jack's skin.

Finally, her new husband huffed a laugh and rasped out, "You learn entirely too quickly, Alexandra." Lacey simply beamed up at him, and slid from his body, resting her head against his shoulder. A soft kiss was pressed to her forehead, and he murmured, "I bet you're proud of yourself. You have every right to be, every right in the world. How long have you been fantasizing about this night?" Lacey wished she had the strength to push herself onto an elbow, so she could look at her husband properly. God, he was so damn beautiful. Not for the first time, she wondered what she did to deserve this extraordinary man.

"Pretty much from the time I finally realized that you weren't just impossibly gorgeous, but incredibly sexy as well," she acknowledged and Jack turned his head to smirk at her. Lacey narrowed her eyes, adding, "Don't you get all smug with me, Captain Harkness, I know damn good and well that you realize how attractive you are!" She kissed the corner of his jaw, continuing, "Since I was about seventeen or so, when I started to realize how I really felt about you. And promptly freaked out!"

Jack frowned, and Lacey continued, "You gotta understand, Jack. . .and we've talked about this before. . .I've never been considered attractive by the boys I knew. And you nailed it when you told me that they were just that, boys. It never occurred to me that you could want me the way I want you. And you do." Jack turned on his side to kiss her properly and allow her to feel her effect on him against her thigh. She did that. She, Alexandra Elizabeth Keller. . .Harkness. She did this to him, she made him make sounds that sent shivers through her body. Jack simply smiled at her, bright blue eyes filled with a breathtaking tenderness. Lacey swallowed hard and whispered, "I love you. I love you so much. I. . .I know. That makes you uncomfortable, but I wanted you to hear me say it."

"I'm leery of saying it, Lace, I'm not uncomfortable with it. The word 'love' is applied to so many damn things that it doesn't mean anything. What I can tell you is this: you hold my heart," Jack replied quietly, taking her hand and pressing it to his chest over his heart. Lacey blinked back tears, because that was, in some ways, far better than 'I love you.' Jack went on, his blue eyes very serious, "I meant what I said during the hand-fasting. You've become my home, and I want to spend whatever time I have with you. Maybe I'll even get lucky enough to grow old with you."

Lacey blinked back tears and Jack reached out to touch her face, wiping away the moisture, whispering, "No tears tonight, Alexandra Elizabeth, unless they're tears of joy. . .or pleasure. Those are acceptable, too." Lacey smiled, as she was meant to, and Jack added more seriously, "I wasted a lot of time being afraid, Lace. I was afraid of hurting you, afraid of losing the rest of your family if things went bad between us. I don't want to lose any more time being afraid."

"And for my part, I was afraid of hurting you," Lacey answered simply, more than a little disturbed by the idea that he truly believed her family would turn against him if things ended badly between them. Yes, she was John and Corinna Keller's daughter and they loved her, but she was just as responsible for a break-up. It was, ironically, that observation that made her realize just how badly Jack had been hurt in the past. He played the role of playful class clown and dashing hero, but while she had always known that he was just as human as she was, this was the first time she realized just how deeply he had been hurt by people who claimed to love him. She stroked his chest, murmuring, "I wish I could tell you that I'll never hurt you, Jack. But I will promise to never hurt you deliberately."

Jack's smile lit up his face, and whatever he would have said gave way to a moan as she lowered her head and kissed her way down his body, scraping her tongue across first one nipple, then the other, before continuing down. She was planning to put those lessons she learned tonight to good use. She would make sure that Jack never, ever, regretted his decision to entrust his heart to her or his decision to marry her. For as long as they had.

Jack and Lacey's first child (_Give and Take_)

March 2001-July 2001

Only days after the confrontation between Suzie and the Torchwood One flunkie, Lacey Harkness made a horrifying discovery: being pregnant had rather effectively killed her sex drive. Which sucked donkey balls, as her middle sister would say, because her husband was effing gorgeous and because while Lacey's mother was pregnant with all three girls, her own libido was off the charts. Lacey heard stories of how her mother almost literally ripped off her father's clothes as soon as he was in the house when she was only weeks from her delivery. When she shared that particular story with Suzie, her friend snickered, "Well, that explains a lot about you." Lacey was less than amused and swatted her.

She found out quite by accident one night, after Jack slid into bed beside her, hand lightly skimming along her thigh. The touch, which never failed to elicit a shiver of desire from Lacey, failed to even register with her. That didn't prevent her from returning Jack's kiss. However, as he always did, he noticed something wasn't quite right. And, since she swore to him after the whole blow-job fiasco that she would tell him 'no' if she wasn't in the mood or if a particular sex act didn't sound like fun, Lacey admitted that either she was more tired than she thought, her hormones had gone totally bonkers, or she had lost her sex drive. Punctuating this, she burst into tears, leaving her poor husband to gather her into his arms and try to comfort her.

Over the next few days, as final preparations were made for Lacey and Suzie's departure for the States, Lacey had a great deal of time to think, and to worry about Jack. She had an uneasy sense that this was it for now. . .in the intervening time since that night, her sex drive hadn't made a return. That made her very unhappy, not just for her own sake, but for Jack's as well. He swore to her that he was fine and was accustomed to going without while his previous wives were pregnant (and Lacey tried not to let her mind stay on that point). But. . .she worried about him. It wasn't as if she was a particularly great lay, though Jack never seemed to have complaints, but she knew he was stressed enough by this whole mess.

Further, she knew about the mores of his time and how he still found it hard to comprehend the attitudes of today, even after living through them and spending more in the nineteenth, twentieth and now twenty-first centuries than he did in his own. The point remained, those were the mores with which he grew up. So, she had some thinking to do. And on the last day before she and Suzie left for the States (actually, Mexico, but that was beside the point), Lacey took Jack's hand and led him into his office. He entrusted a particular piece of coral to her, actually closing her fingers around it and telling her to keep it safe. She didn't know what it was. . .only that it was important to Jack and that he trusted her with it. That was all she needed to know.

In his office, Lacey put forth her idea. And to say that she was nervous would have been a serious understatement. Worse, she knew that she was likely to be clumsy with the presentation of the idea, especially since she got maybe three hours of sleep the night before. She knew he was going through hell with this turnover. She also knew that it would be another few months before they saw each other again and that she would need a few months after the baby was born to heal. As things stood right now, it would be about another six months before she could make love with him. And that wasn't acceptable to her. Taking a deep breath, she told Jack that if he slept with other people during those six months, she wouldn't hold it against him.

He stared at her for a few minutes, blinking, before asking almost off-handedly, "But what if I want you to hold it against me?" It took Lacey a few more minutes before she realized what an opening she gave him with that statement. She rolled her eyes and Jack said more seriously, "I thank you for that more than generous offer, and I take it in the spirit it's meant. . .I know you have respect for my self-control." Lacey opened her mouth, because such an interpretation never crossed her mind, but Jack pressed his index finger against her lips, adding, "Like I said, I know you didn't mean it that way." She shook her head vehemently, giving herself one helluva headache in the process. Damn vertigo.

Once he took his finger away, Lacey answered, "No. I just didn't want. . .look, you can look at it as me protecting you from the rest of my family, especially the ones who don't understand where you come from." This was most of them. She continued, "And I know you have self-control, I just didn't want you doubting me. When I was growing up, Mama always used to tell me that if I love something, to let them go. . .and if they came back to me, I'd know it was meant to be. Funny thing is, I always thought of you when she told me about that. So this is me, letting you go and hoping that you come back to me."

Jack's blue eyes softened and he drew her into his arms, murmuring into her dark hair, "Oh, Lacey. . .my sweet girl. You don't have to prove anything to me. You don't have to prove your love or devotion or acceptance, because you did that on the worst night of your life when you watched a dead man come back to life in a locked SUV. Do you know that a sixteen year old girl showed me more acceptance and compassion than most adults, aside from her parents, ever have? You don't have anything to prove to me, Lacey. But I thank you for this gift."

She held onto him, murmuring, "I won't set conditions, 'cause it's a gift, if you want to see it that way. But I do have some requests." He held her a little closer and Lacey continued, "One, I would really prefer it if it was another man." Jack pulled back, just enough to look at her, and Lacey explained, "It sounds stupid, but that way, I'm the only woman in your bed. . .well, the only female lover in your bed." She didn't think it was possible for his eyes to soften any further, but he surprised her quite often. He nodded his agreement and she continued, "The second request is that you take a shower before you come to bed. And it's not what you think. Weird things trigger my morning sickness, and I don't want to spend half the night in the bathroom, being sick."

"I can live with that request, too, and I don't want you to spend all night in the bathroom. After all, just because we can't have sex doesn't mean we can't cuddle," Jack pointed out, quite reasonably, and Lacey beamed at him. She really didn't know how he would take her suggestion or requests. He kissed her forehead, and continued, "All right, so far your requests are more than reasonable and quite easy for me to accommodate. Only other men and take a shower before I come to bed. Not a problem. What's your final request, mother of my child?"

"Daughter. This baby will be a little girl. Don't ask me how I know, I just do," Lacey replied. Jack's dark brows arched and Lacey re-iterated, "I just know, Jack. We're having a daughter. And, my final request? That you do come back to me." She received another kiss to her forehead, the answer to that particular request. Jack's fingers moved in gentle circles in the small of her back, and she told him softly, "I know that there will be times when I can't give you what you need, when I can't _be_ what you need. Not because I'm not willing but because I'm not physically strong enough. And when that happens, I don't want you to think I'll stop loving you. I know, I've been clumsy in putting it that way. . ."

This time, he cut her off with a proper snog and when he pulled back, Jack whispered, "No. Not clumsy, never clumsy. Just graceful and just gracious. I don't know too many wives who could accept their husband sharing their bed or their heart with someone else. But you've always accepted me as I am, even when you were told not to. No matter how long I live, I will always cherish that, Alexandra." His use of her full name, rather than his many nicknames for her, told her just how much he meant that.

"I gotta be honest with you. If you were from this time, I wouldn't be so accepting, Jack. But you love more than one person, and not just the way that my parents do, or the same way I do. You grew up in a different time and place than I did. I won't ask you to change to suit me. Just come home to me. The other two requests are. . .well, the third one is the most important to me," Lacey replied. Jack made an incoherent sound in the back of his throat and pulled her roughly back into his arms, her head coming to rest just under his chin.

To anyone else, it would have sounded pathetic. Even to her, it did. But she did understand that he came from a different time and place. She wasn't entirely sure how she understood exactly what that meant, but she did. And Jack was worth it. He referred to her choice to have a hand-fasting and a justice of the peace marry them as a sacrifice. But her mother understood why she did it. Jack spent so much of his life looking after her and her sisters, sacrificing his life, his sanity, countless nights of sleep, and even his dignity to keep them safe and comfortable.

More recently, he sacrificed something he enjoyed receiving. . .namely oral sex. . .for the sake of her comfort. It was only right that she ensure that he was comfortable in their marriage. Give and take, that was what Mama always used to say, and that was what Lacey was doing. Sometimes, both partners gave fifty percent. . .sometimes it was sixty/forty. . .sometimes, it was eighty/twenty. That was the way life worked. It was true in friendship as well. Lacey had absolute faith that when she needed her husband the most, he would come through for her. Even if he didn't understand, he would come through for her.

Four months later, when their daughter Corinna Rose Harkness was born, Jack proved her right by suggesting that their little girl be baptized. Not because he believed in an afterlife or even God, but because he knew that she did. Lacey Keller Harkness thought she couldn't love her husband any more than she already did on their wedding night. With each passing year, she discovered that she was oh so very wrong. With their daughter's birth, Lacey's sex drive returned with a vengeance. And two months after she saw Jack Harkness weeping for joy as he held his infant daughter, Lacey received another lovely gift: the sight of her husband wearing nothing but a bow and the information that Aunt Suzie was happily taking care of baby Corey.

Suzie's first real mission in the States (_Hauntingly Familiar_)

November 2001

"He said what? And she still slept with him after that?"

Lacey and Suzie ambled along the corridor of a Mexican hospital, four month old Corey sleeping in her mother's arms. Jack remained behind in West Virginia, where Torchwood America would be located, getting things set up with assistance from Lacey's father. Suzie hadn't known what to expect when she met retired General John Keller, but he and his wife of nearly thirty years put her at ease. Lacey's mother had a lovely Southern accent, not at all like the ones Suzie heard on the telly. And she was far more intelligent. She observed as much to her friend, who sighed that Hollyweird (?) often used Southern accents to denote stupid people in movies and tv shows.

She should have realized that herself after meeting Mike Franks, who may have been a bit of a chauvinist (jury was still out on that one, though) but was nobody's fool. Lacey, however, was kind enough to keep her mouth shut, though Suzie noticed the twinkle in her friend's eyes. And Mike was the one who set up this little interview, after Torchwood got calls about strange things off the Mexican coast. Jack didn't think it was anything to worry about. . .and he and Lacey were in danger of driving each other nuts, being underfoot constantly. . .so off Suzie and Lacey went, with Corey safely ensconced in her mother's arms.

Lacey's parents offered the use of their recreational vehicle, since Lacey really didn't want to subject her newborn daughter to flying, and she didn't want to add to the stress of other travelers, already jangled by the attacks two months earlier. Lacey drove the RV, Suzie tended to Corey, and the two friends behaved like a pair of girls on their gap year just before going into uni. It was as they crossed Tennessee that Lacey made the rather off-hand suggestion that Torchwood needed an RV as a mobile base. Suzie was so intrigued by the comment that she made a note on her PDA to mention it to Jack.

Twelve hours earlier, they finally reached the resort where the 'crazy shit' went down and got the story from a scientist mixed up. The owner of the resort was dead, along with several other people, and a young man who helped to right the situation was in hospital. . .the same hospital Lacey and Suzie were now walking through. It was, in fact, the young man who was the subject of the conversation between the pair. Suzie replied, "She did sleep with him, even though she didn't elaborate on that. I'm still not sure why she told me that."

Lacey shook her head in amazement. Yeah, Suzie was with her on that. . .seriously TMI. A lot worse than when Lacey mentioned that her mother was known to tear off her father's clothes while she was pregnant. The young American woman observed, "Well, he damn well better be cute, with a mouth like that on him. Okay, maybe I'm something of a prude, but still! _Ick_!"

"Well, we're at the room if you want to wash his mouth out with soap," Suzie observed as she and her friend walked into the room of the man who came up with crazy plan. Lacey snickered, but then both she and Suzie could only stare in astonishment at the semi-conscious man lying in the hospital bed. _Wait, what_? How could that be? The friends exchanged a look, Lacey very pale. Suzie couldn't blame her, not when the young man they were just talking about was so hauntingly familiar. . .looking almost exactly like the man they left in West Virginia only a few days earlier. Suzie leaned over and whispered to her friend, "Does Jack have any brothers?"

Lacey shook her head, eyes never leaving the young man. He was in his mid to late twenties, and as they drew closer to the bed, Suzie saw minute differences from Jack. His hair was considerably shorter and his eyes, half-mast though they were, seemed far more innocent than Jack's. Far more innocent and far younger. Lacey, demonstrating just how off-balance she was, took control of the interview with a too-bright smile, saying, "Hi! I'm Lexie Keller and this is Suzette Costello, we're from the Tantalis Institute. I believe Mike Franks mentioned us?" Suzie closed her mouth with a snap, taking the gift that was offered. She was still too stunned by the sight of their interviewee.

"Nice to meet you. . .I'm Chuck, this is one of my kids, Ben. So Mike sent you. . .he said this Tantalis Institute investigates weird stuff? Sorry, I'll be answering most of the questions. The kid's still a little loopy from the painkillers," the older man said. Yeah, Suzie could tell. . .and from her conversation with the third member of this little drama, he was lucky to be alive. Chuck added, "Damn stupid thing to do, but it did the trick. 'Sides, better to take the 'maybe dead' over the 'definitely dead' option."

This time, it was Suzie who responded, "Yeah, that's us. And not a problem. We don't think it's actually in our jurisdiction, but our director wanted us to make sure. What can you tell me about the creature?" From that point on, things went the way the two friends originally planned, Lacey content to listen and hold her daughter close. On occasion, the patient interjected a statement, but half the time, he didn't make any sense. Suzie mouthed to Lacey while Chuck's attention was distracted, 'Retcon?' Her partner in crime shook her head vehemently. Suzie agreed. There really wasn't a point. And, in this case, possibly dangerous.

At the end of the interview, the two women wished Ben a speedy recovery and thanked Chuck for his time, before leaving the room. They were silent for several minutes, before Lacey finally said hoarsely, "I'm sorry for interfering like that, Suzie, but that really rattled me. I wasn't expecting to walk into a room and see a man wearing my husband's face." Yeah, Suzie could imagine. Even so, Lacey seemed a little more rattled than it really warranted. On the other hand, her hormones were still settling after giving birth and Lacey had some nightmares about Jack being hurt. That happened a few times while they were on their way down.

"Not a problem, it gave me a few minutes to gather my thoughts. So, you wanna call Jack, let him know that it wasn't anything alien?" Suzie suggested, sensing that right now, her friend needed to talk to her husband. By this time, they were outside the hospital and heading for the car where Mike awaited them. Suzie resolved to buy him something really nice for Christmas. He went above and beyond for them on this operation. Then again, what she thought nice, he might find a waste of time. She would confer with John Keller when they got back, see what he thought or if he had any suggestions.

"Yeah. . .in fact. . .you know what, once we get back to Mike's cabin, why don't you take Corey while I call Jack? There are a few things that I need to check on, and I know how much you love spending time with our Corey-girl," Lacey suggested. Suzie never, ever turned down the opportunity to spend time with her 'niece.' This time was no different, even though she had a sense that there was far more to Lacey's request than what met the eye. As Mike drove out of the parking lot, his eyes met Lacey's and the Look that passed between them made Suzie feel, for lack of a better word, itchy. Something was going on. That was fine. She would let them have their secrets.

For now.

Jack's first doubts about Lacey's faith in him (_Keepin' the Faith_)

November 2001

"Jack? Were you involved with anyone just prior to Lucia Moretti in the early seventies?"

His wife's voice shook, just a little, and Jack stopped working on the computers. His father-in-law had been taking a break for the last ten minutes, leaving just before Lacey called, for which Jack was extremely grateful. This conversation might get him into trouble. He knew better than to think that Lacey was jealous, because she had never been jealous of past lovers. He was with her now, that was what mattered to her. Even so, he said lightly, "Well, there was Gabriel in 1971, but that didn't last long, and then there was Eric in 1973. Why, did you meet either of them?" He didn't think it was likely. . .or that it would rattled Lacey as badly as it obviously did.

"Nooo," Lacey said, drawing the word out, "I. . .so, before Lucia, you weren't involved with any women?" Now Jack began to get very concerned, but reassured his wife that she was correct. Lacey exhaled slowly, and then explained, "Suzie and I met a young man today in the hospital, one of the people involved with the case, the one who almost died saving those people. Jack, he's a dead ringer for you. Same face, same voice, same smile. . .if you were loopy from pain medication. Suzie even asked me if you had a twin brother running around in the world." Jack swallowed hard, now understanding why Lacey was so rattled.

"Unless someone got a hold of my sperm, which isn't particularly likely but not impossible, he isn't my son, Lace," Jack told her, trying to be as reassuring as he could. Given the nightmares he still had about those men in the basement of the butcher shop in 1928, it was harder than it might have otherwise been. He thought about his wife's reaction to this boy, and then chose to ask the question that was now bothering him, "Are you. . .are you bothered that I have grown children, Lacey?"

"God, no! Melissa was my friend when we were kids, remember? It was just. . .when I walked into that room, and saw this boy who looked just like you. . ." Lacey replied, sounding shocked that he feared that would even be a concern. Jack bobbed his head in acknowledgment, even though Lacey couldn't see him. She continued after a moment, "I suppose it was. . .I suppose part of it was, I had another nightmare about you dying while we were on the road. I told Suzie it was of you being hurt, and that was true enough. It was like seeing my worst fears come to life. Even though I knew that he wasn't you, it was still. . . jarring."

"Oh, sweetheart," Jack exhaled slowly, leaning back against the communication console. She'd been having nightmares like that ever since Suzie figured out just how far Yvonne's pets were willing to go to get the Hub. He said softly, "I'm okay. And I'm not sure why this boy looks so much like me, but I'm almost completely positive that he's not my son." At least, Jack hoped for the youngster's sake that wasn't the case. He encountered his daughter Melissa a few times while he was in London, and she had been convinced by her mother that he was dangerous to be around. Jack wasn't so sure that she was wrong.

"I believe you. Okay. That's out of the way. Uhm, it wasn't anything alien. . .and, they handled it themselves. How are things going up there?" Lacey asked. Jack sighed as he eyed the computers that he had been programming and setting up over the course of the day. Today it was the computers, tomorrow it was the communications and just to make sure all bases were covered, he'd put in a few of those old Radio Shack CB radios, like the kind his in-laws had when his wife was a little girl.

"Slowly. Very slowly. But we're getting there. Your dad is taking a break right now. You two heading back tomorrow?" Jack inquired. Even though he and Lacey were driving each other nuts before the evil twins left, he missed his wife and his daughter terribly. For admittedly different reasons, but with equal intensity. He missed cuddling his Corey-girl (yes, he shamelessly stole his nickname for her mother and assigned it to their daughter) and he missed the bedroom acrobatics he got up to with his wife.

"That's the plan. Mike asked me to make dinner tonight, and then we'll get on the road in the morning. We have enough supplies to make it to Texas definitely and maybe New Mexico. Why, do you miss us?" Lacey teased, sounding more like his Lacey for the first time since the beginning of the conversation. Her voice dropped and she asked in a decidedly naughty voice, "Are you gonna let me tie you up? I remember we had a lot of fun the last time we did that." Jack swallowed hard, his trousers suddenly very, very tight. There was a low, devilish laugh that floated down the line and Lacey teased, "At a loss for words, m'love? Oooh, you do miss me, miss us! We'll be home in a few days."

"Oh yeah. You wanna use my braces or something else this time?" Jack managed to choke out. His mind all but shut down when he heard _that_ note in his wife's voice. He would have to remember to tell her that. He knew it would make her smile. Despite more than four years of marriage, she still doubted her desirability. On the other hand, Suzie seemed to think it had more to do with her pregnancy. . .she might have a point there. Either way, he couldn't wait until they got home. He'd ask Suzie to watch Corey once John and Rinna went home, and then he and Lacey wouldn't leave their bedroom for a week.

TBC

Okay, anyone who knows to whom Lacey and Suzie were talking in the Mexican hospital gets a cyber-plushie!


	5. Toshiko:  The Same Four Walls

Author's Notes: And here we have Tosh, after Jack found her in the UNIT prison. I hoped to have this up earlier, but I had a job interview on Tuesday and left for Georgia on Wednesday to visit my brother and his family. . .and writing was not going to happen while I was away. The song Lacey and Suzie are singing in the last section is _'One Way Ticket'_ by LeAnn Rimes. Next up is Owen. Poor thing has no idea what's about to hit him. (evil cackle)

Chapter Five

Toshiko: The Same Four Walls

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

March 2003

She was free. Before she boarded this plane, she could see the sky and the sun and feel the wind on her face. She was free, and the sensations that bombarded her once she left the UNIT prison behind her with the handsome American nearly overwhelmed her. Sights, sounds, smells, it was all almost too much for her. If her new boss objected to the way she clung to his arm as they navigated through the city, he certainly gave no indication. In fact, he put a big, warm hand over hers protectively, and there was only kindness in his blue eyes.

He took her back to his hotel and gave her some clothes, which he said belonged to his wife. They were a little loose on her, but they were clean and warm. And once she had a shower, Toshiko Sato felt human for the first time in so long. Perhaps sensing how overwhelmed she felt, her rescuer/new guard kept their meal simple and left her alone in her room of his suite. He had some calls to make, including to the aforementioned wife, and to ensure her passport and visa was ready. They were going to the United States, and while Tosh would miss her family, she realized she was ready to go to another country. Besides. As part of the terms for her release into the custody of one Captain Jack Harkness, it was agreed that she wouldn't be able to see her family or speak to them on the telephone. Only postcards. Tosh counted herself fortunate to even get that. She counted herself fortunate to be alive.

They stayed in London for three days while Jack finished up the paperwork. She worked for Torchwood now and what Jack told her so far about her new position, Tosh was all but salivating to get to West Virginia and see everything he told her about. About his wife, she knew almost nothing. . .just that her given name was 'Alexandra,' that she was petite and slender, and that Jack was incredibly protective of her. One of Tosh's former guards made a singularly rude remark about her (foolishly within Jack's hearing) and the look Jack gave him could have flayed him alive. He said not a word, which seemed to scare the guard even worse, and took Tosh's hand, before leading her away from that awful place.

And now, they were flying across the Atlantic. Jack's conversation with his wife, from what Tosh could hear of it, was short, affectionate, and innuendo-laden. That seemed par for the course with him. It was toned down a little for her, as if he was trying to avoid overwhelming her, but according to a senior UNIT official who was kind to her, with Jack, flirting was second nature. He told her that there was currently one other member of the team, Suzie. Jack's wife Alexandra divided her time between looking after their twenty-month-old daughter Corinna and helping Jack with administrative tasks. He openly admitted that he sucked at that side of things.

The base of operations, at least for now, was in West Virginia, what Jack called a 'respectable distance' from the nation's capital. Jack was looking into other areas around the country, but West Virginia was working well so far. He was very close-mouthed about what exactly constituted that base of operations, which made her curious. However, she didn't ask. Tosh was still too busy processing the overwhelming amount of new information gathered over the last few days. There would be time to find the other things out.

"We'll get you proper clothes when we get to where we're going. I would offer to take you shopping myself, but I make Lacey nervous when I go shopping with her. She says she wants to surprise me," Jack observed as she anxiously plucked at her sleeve. Tosh looked up at him. Jack smiled at her, adding, "Lacey is my wife's nickname. It was originally 'Lexie,' but she couldn't say it properly." Tosh smiled hesitantly, especially when Jack added in a mock-indignant voice, "Suzie says I'm overwhelming! You don't think I am, do you, Tosh?" Before she could answer him, Jack winked at her and Tosh settled back in her seat.

After a moment, she asked shyly, "Your wife Lacey. . .what is she like?" She really wasn't as good with people as she was with technology, but Tosh couldn't help but wonder about the sort of woman Jack Harkness would marry. He was viciously protective of her, obviously. Tosh saw that in the UNIT prison as they were leaving. If looks could kill, that guard would have died for saying what he did about Alexandra Harkness. Besides, she would be working (sometimes) with her and after having no contact with people for such a long time. . .

"You'll need to make up your own mind about that. I can tell you that she's a military brat and lived in Italy for a time as a child. She doesn't think that I know she wasn't happy in Cardiff. . . her masks are good, but I've known her for far too long," Jack explained, his lips twisting in a small smirk. Tosh reflected quietly that Jack actually told her more than he realized about his wife. She was a military brat, she lived overseas as a child, and she subjugated her own unhappiness while they lived in Cardiff.

"Why did she do that? Pretend that she wasn't unhappy about living in Cardiff?" Tosh asked curiously, happy to have something to focus on, other than the change in her circumstances. Once her curiosity about Lacey Harkness was sated, she would see what Jack could tell her about Suzie. Much to her surprise, Jack's eyes grew sad at the question. She was still adjusting to his instructions to call him by his given name.

"She's a military brat, Tosh, and by her own reckoning, she's a military spouse now. That's the way it works. You go where you're sent. She believed that I had enough to deal with," Jack replied. Tosh wondered where Jack's wife got the idea that she was a military spouse, but decided she would ask the woman in question about that. Jack continued, "I do want to warn you about my mother-in-law. Rinna is a wonderful woman, but she may decide to mother you. If that happens, just stand back and let it happen. You can't argue with her. Believe me. I've tried." Tosh couldn't help but laugh at Jack's expression. Despite his words, he obviously adored his mother-in-law and she was willing to bet that Rinna adored him right back. For her own part, Tosh could already see how easy it would be to adore this man.

TWTWTWTW

Just south of Indianapolis, IN

"Hey, Mama, it's me. Uhm. . .I need some advice."

Corinna Keller knew as soon as she saw the caller-id what her daughter wanted, but sometimes her children surprised her. For now, she tucked the phone against her head, motioning for her youngest daughter Cecilia to finish putting the dishes away. The fourteen year old rolled her eyes, but Rinna ignored her, choosing to answer, "Sure thing, sweetie. I'm betting you know your daddy is picking up your husband and his new employee from the airport." Cissie immediately stopped her sulking and mouthed, '_Lacey_?' Rinna bobbed her head in acknowledgment.

"Yup, that's actually what I'm calling about. You know that the newest member of our odd little family is Japanese, right?" her eldest replied. Rinna nodded, ignoring her youngest daughter's repeated motions for the phone and the fact that Lacey couldn't see her. Evidently taking Rinna's silence for assent (as she was meant to), her firstborn continued, "I was finishing up her room, and wondered if I should put in some of our Japanese décor. . .you know, what you and Dad gave us when we moved back to the States? Suzie is taking care of Corey, before you ask." Rinna rolled her eyes, even though that was exactly what she was wondering.

"This is the young girl whom UNIT had imprisoned and one of the conditions of her release to Jack was that she would have very limited contact with her family?" Rinna asked. Now Cissie stopped making her motions for the phone, looking very serious. Rinna would decide later if she would let Cissie talk to Lacey after her own conversation was concluded. It would depend on how she behaved over the next few minutes. Lacey assented and Rinna thought about that for a minute, before she said, "No. No, you run the risk of reminding her of what she's lost. It might be okay in a few months, but not right now."

Lacey exhaled slowly and admitted, "I was wondering about that. Okay. Yeah, it's the room that Bronnie usually uses when she visits us. So, I'll just keep it as it is and make sure any of Bronnie's stuff is out of sight." Out of sight? As if hearing her mother's question, Lacey explained, "Bronnie left some anime DVD's and manga. The last thing I want to do is make Toshiko feel badly, and I don't know if that will trigger something." Ah. Probably the best idea, then, even though things you don't expect can be triggers. She added, "Any other ideas?"

"She's a civilian, isn't she?" Rinna asked. This troubled her ever since John told her about their friend's newest employee and how he found her. Actually, she was just as concerned about the conditions John told her about in that UNIT prison as she was about that girl's loyalty. When her daughter affirmed this was true, Rinna sighed with relief and murmured, "Then that's all right. If she's a civilian, she probably panicked when her mother was taken. I can understand and forgive that. If someone who has had your father or your husband's training do the same thing when a family member is taken, that's a different story."

"What would you have done, Mama, if that crazy woman who kidnapped me demanded a ransom of some kind?" Lacey asked, sounding more curious than anything else. Rinna thought about that horrifying night and what she allowed Jack to do to save Lacey. She thought about his argument with John when her husband wanted to go in and rescue their daughter, and everything else that happened that night. She thought about watching Clay blow up the house where her daughter was held captive and the feel of her child trembling in her arms.

"Probably would have helped Clay to set the charges myself. Kidnappers are nothing more than terrorists. . .and you don't negotiate with terrorists. If we'd paid that ransom, then we would have placed you in even greater danger. It's like dealing with children. . .you don't reward bad behavior," Rinna pointed out. Cissie blinked in shock and Rinna realized that they never told their youngest daughter about that particular trauma. She'd deal with that later. She told Lacey, "Maybe I see things differently, being the wife of a retired Army general and the daughter of a diplomat, but giving into these kinds of people is the worst thing you can do."

"Chamberlain in 1938," Lacey murmured and Rinna smiled. Trust her historian-daughter to make that connection. There was a brief silence and Lacey continued, "When Jack told me about this, I wondered what I would do if it was Corey. If someone took Corey and tried to blackmail me into doing something wrong. . .I wondered if I would be strong enough to do the right thing, or if I would fold like a house of cards. Suzie tells me that I shouldn't worry about that, because you and Dad and Jack wouldn't let me do anything stupid. I'd like to believe that, I'd like to believe that I'd be strong enough to do what's best for Corey, rather than what's expedient."

"Oh, honey," Rinna sighed, wishing she could truly help her daughter with this, "there is no doubt in my mind that you would be strong enough to do what's best for your child. I have faith in you, and I have faith in Jack. Now. . .your sister has been behaving herself, so I'll let you talk to her for a few minutes." She handed the phone off to her youngest child, smiling as Lacey called a quick _'thank you_,' and then shook her head at Cissie's rather haphazard way of putting away the dishes. Honestly, sometimes she wondered about that child!

"Hey, Lace. . .when are you and Jack coming for a visit? Yeah? Well, I knew about Christmas, but what about Thanksgiving or your birthday?" Cissie asked. Rinna rolled her eyes as she listened to the one-sided conversation. The entire Keller family went to West Virginia only a few months earlier for Christmas. Bronnie and Cissie both took great delight in spoiling their niece. Then again, Cissie was the only child remaining at home. . .Lacey was married and Bronnie was away at Purdue, majoring in computer science, and likely, Cissie was lonely. Well, that and she had something of a crush on her brother-in-law.

There was another long silence as Lacey explained something to Cissie, and then the girl sighed, "Yeah, I know. I just. . .I just miss you, that's all." Another silence, and Cissie gasped, "Seriously! You mean that? Oh, yeah! Okay, I can do that. . .I'm getting mostly A's and B's, except in a few classes, but those are all C's. Help Mama with the housework? Okay. Okay, I promise. I will. Yeah. Okay. Okay, do you want me to give you back to Mama? Yeah. I love you, too, Lacey." Cissie handed the phone back, whispering excitedly, "Lacey says I can visit this summer if I keep my grades up and help out around the house. Go, I'll finish the dishes, go talk to Lacey!"

Rinna waited until her back was turned and she was headed back into the living room before she rolled her eyes and said, "I can't decide if I should hug you or strangle you for that. She's going to drive me nuts over the next two months, you know that." She was rewarded with the sound of her daughter's merry laughter and Rinna rolled her eyes again. There were times when she swore that Jack was a bad influence on Lacey. . .and the rest of the time, she was thrilled by the changes she noticed in her daughter since her marriage. Well, since Cissie was doing the dishes, she would finish her conversation with her eldest, and then she would see about that needlepoint project she started shortly before her granddaughter (!) was born.

TWTWTWTWTW

Dulles International Airport

Chantilly, VA

Their plane landed just as the sun was setting, and the trip through customs took next to no time. Poor Tosh was in serious danger of hyperventilating, and Jack kept a protective arm around her shoulders as he guided her through the very large airport. He wished they could have flown in to a smaller, less crowded airport, but that just wasn't in the cards. And. . .there was his father-in-law. The other man strode over, shielding Tosh from the other side, and said, "Let's get you two outta here before the poor girl has a panic attack."

"Sounds like a plan. Tosh, this is my father-in-law, General John Keller. John, this is Toshiko Sato, my newest tech wizard," Jack made quick introductions and smiled at the reassuring smile his old friend gave Tosh. She didn't look any more at ease, but at least she didn't look any more terrified. Jack continued, "We'll travel by car from the airport, Tosh, get you some breathing room. I hoped to have a helicopter or a small plane by this time, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards right now." He allowed himself a mock-put, hoping that it would make Tosh smile. He was successful. . .her lips twitched. They were making progress.

"If I know you, Jack, you'll take care of that after my Lacey and Suzie finish the planning of that RV," his father-in-law observed. Tosh blinked and he saw her mouth, '_RV_?' Jack winked at her as they headed out into the sunlight and this time, the twitch of her lips was a little more pronounced. Even better. John went on, "I just got off the phone with Rinna. . .you might want to speak to your wife about issuing invitations. She told Cissie that if she kept her grades up and helped Rinna around the house, she could come visit you and Lacey during the summer."

"Considering what I put your poor daughter through on a regular basis, and have ever since we got married, all I can say is. . . bring it on. Besides, I always enjoy having both of my sisters-in-law around. Especially when they decide they want to babysit their niece. Gives Lacey time to do. . .other things," Jack replied and smirked. John simply rolled his eyes and Tosh looked mildly scandalized. At least she looked scandalized, rather than traumatized. On the other hand, that was incredibly mild for Jack.

"Okay, on a scale of one to ten, that's a twenty-five for _'things I don't want to know about my daughter_.' And really, it's funny you should say that. . .according to my daughter, she's the one who is the troublemaker in the relationship. Not that I believe that, since I helped to raise her," John retorted and Jack laughed aloud as they reached the car. He opened the back passenger door for Tosh and she slid inside gratefully, and then he took the front passenger seat. John added as he took the driver's seat, "Besides, I know you better than that. One thing no one can ever accuse you of being, Jack, is a victim." It was Jack's turn to shoot his father-in-law a scandalized look. Him, a victim? Never. He couldn't always protect himself from being hurt, but he would _not_ be a victim.

"Wise man. Although, I think we'd all be in trouble if Lacey ever turned to the Dark Side," Jack observed. There was a snort of laughter, and he added, "I'm serious! You gotta look out for the quiet ones! They're always the most dangerous. Besides, I know Lacey and she's a helluva lot more devious than most people realize. I think she's more devious than your wife is, and Rinna is one of the devious people I know, male or female!" The snort became a full-out laugh, and it took his father-in-law a few minutes to start the car, because it took him that long to stop laughing. He caught Tosh's eye in the rear view mirror and winked at her. This time, he was rewarded with a small giggle.

"I'm not disagreeing with you at all, Jack. You remember how Lacey reacted while we were on the outs. . .I wasn't sure if she was going to speak to us at all, ever again," his old friend retorted. Jack winced, still uncomfortable with the role he played in his wife's temporary estrangement from her parents. The other man added, "None of that. You didn't encourage her to shut us out, and you didn't encourage us to show our asses, either. Then again, this is Lacey we're talking about. . .she's never really needed a great deal of encouragement to shut people out, to protect them or to protect herself. Or both."

Something else that Jack learned the hard way. Even now, three years later, he still had nightmares about his wife's miscarriage, and how easily that could have ended so much worse. He saw Tosh's curious look in the rearview, but knew he wasn't ready to answer her questions. Instead, he observed, "Lacey takes her role and responsibility as the big sister very seriously. You said it yourself, she even told Cissie that if she kept her grades up and if she helped Rinna around the house, then she could come visit us."

"She also takes her role as your wife very seriously, as the good senator from California discovered when she insulted you in Lacey's hearing. Oh, my little girl wasn't rude or unpleasant, but there are other ways of making someone regret their rudeness," John observed. Oh? This was the first Jack heard of this. His father-in-law explained, "Get her to tell you about it. I heard about it from Rinna, and she heard it from Lacey. I have a feeling it'll be a lot more entertaining if she tells you." Of that, Jack had NO doubt.

The two men fell silent as John maneuvered his way out of the DC traffic, and Jack once again gave thanks to all deities was listening that he had the sense to listen to his wife when she told him that DC was the last place they wanted to set up Torchwood headquarters. It was too crowded, too much. It was Suzie who came up with the idea of West Virginia, and John had friends looking to sell property in West Virginia. That 'property' turned out to be half of a small town, which was slowly dying as young people moved to the cities and older people died. One of the buildings which Torchwood America now owned had a basement and a sub-basement/fallout shelter. It was hiding in plain sight, had a great roof for those times when he needed a reminder of why he was doing this, and it was close enough to DC that Jack could travel to the nation's capital if it became necessary (which he really hoped it wasn't).

For now, it would do as a home, though Lacey and Suzie were researching the possible use of an RV to use as a mobile base. Jack thought it sounded intriguing, but he needed more information. Thus, the research. . .the specs, the cost, and such important things as the privacy of bedrooms. Jack really didn't care about that last one, but he knew Lacey did. Actually, come to that, Suzie cared about that, too. She grumpily informed them one morning after a particularly. . .enthusiastic. . .night of passion, that there was a reason people said, _'get a room_.' Lacey replied in a saccharine voice that they had a room and used it. Suzie muttered that it didn't do any good, and just how many times could they go at it in one night? Lacey pursed her lips and observed that they weren't sure yet, but the experimentation continued. Suzie turned a rather interesting shade of purple and left the room. Jack still couldn't be sure if the sounds he heard from her as a result was laughter, choking, crying, or something else.

John asked once they were clear of the city, "So, how is my granddaughter doing? I know she's growing like a weed. . .Bronnie swore after her last visit that you two were feeding that child Miracle-Gro." Jack simply laughed, though his sister-in-law was right. Corey was getting so big. Not in an unhealthy way, but she was growing so quickly. She was also a constant source of amazement to both parents with her curiosity and the delight she took in things they both took for granted. Lacey swore that the former was inherited from Jack. . .who admitted that his own curiosity was quite strong. However, his wife's curiosity was just as strong.

"She's amazing, as ever, and getting more and more gorgeous by the day. Lacey swears up and down that she looks like me, but I see far more of Lacey in her," Jack acknowledged. Although, perhaps that was due to his baby girl's innocence, especially since his own innocence was lost so many years earlier. He paused briefly to take a swig from his water bottle, and added, "And thank God she has more of Lacey's temperament than mine." John roared with laughter at that statement and poor Tosh just looked completely lost. She would understand soon enough.

"For the sake of my daughter's sanity, Jack, I would have to agree with you on that one. Toshiko, why don't you get some rest? We have another few hours to go before we get to where we're going, and you'll give yourself a headache, trying to keep up with us," John suggested. Jack studied his new employee's expression in the rearview mirror. After a moment, however, she nodded and settled back against the cushions, closing her eyes. The two men in the front seat fell silent, John focusing on navigating the traffic and Jack wondering how soon he could arrange for Tosh to contact her family. At the very least, he wanted Tosh's mother to know she was all right. Working in Torchwood, it was anyone's guess how long she would stay that way, but for now, she was all right. . .for now, she was safe.

TWTWTWTW

Tosh really wasn't aware of falling asleep. One moment, she was resting her eyes and listening to the sounds of the road. . .and the next, a gentle hand settled on her knee, drawing her back to full consciousness. She blinked to find the passenger door open and Jack kneeling beside her, a gentle smile gracing his features. His smile broadened when he saw her eyes open and he said softly, "Welcome home, Toshiko Sato. C'mon. It's time you met the rest of the family." Feeling once more overwhelmed and more than a little scared, Tosh took the proffered hand and followed Jack. She still wasn't fully awake, so she didn't pay any attention to her surroundings. For now. She'd do that later.

Besides, after what she saw as they entered the building, it was probably just as well that she didn't pay attention to the outside. Two young women were dancing, singing something about a one-way ticket on a westbound train, while a toddler watched and giggled. And were they singing into bananas? The toddler squealed, "Da-eee!" That abruptly stopped the singing and dancing, and the two young women turned to face General Keller, Jack, and Tosh. The smaller of the two women beamed at the general, smiled reassuringly at Tosh, before turning her full attention to Jack.

And for his part, Jack was looking somewhere between amused and. . .turned on? He observed dryly, "Interesting choice for a microphone, Lacey." Ah. So this was the infamous Lacey. She was, as Jack told her, petite and slender, with dark hair pulled back into a barrette, dark eyes, and fair skin. The dark brows raised as the other girl put down the banana and went over to the toddler, who was babbling happily at the adults. Tosh glanced over at the woman now holding the baby, who just rolled her eyes with amused exasperation.

"Well, I figure a microphone is a better use for a banana, aside from its intended purpose, than a gun, m'love," came the sassy response. Both the general and the other girl 'oohed' at that comment. Jack actually growled, but Tosh sensed it wasn't because he was angry. She would love to know the story behind that, though. Lacey Harkness just smiled brightly at her husband, her dark eyes dancing with laughter and mischief. The baby in the other girl's arms just giggled again, squealing happily. Her mother turned and winked at her before returning her attention to the child's father.

"I should have never told you that story. That's the last time I assume you aren't paying attention to what I say while you're recovering from childbirth," Jack issued the mock-threat with a smirk that probably would have sent blood rushing to some very interesting places, if it had been directed at Tosh. As it was, the newcomer swallowed hard. What would it be like, she wondered, to have a man like Jack Harkness looking at you like that? Tosh wasn't interested in Jack like that (though, if pushed, she'd admit to having a bit of a crush on him), but she still wondered. Especially after Jack added, his voice dropping to a seductive growl, "And believe me, m'love, you _will_ pay for that."

Lacey took a step forward, hands settling on her hips as she all but purred, "Bring it on, pretty boy." There was no doubt in Tosh's mind that Jack would have done just that, but General Keller cleared his throat, the girl holding the baby coughed, and the baby squealed again. Lacey snickered, taking her daughter from her friend, adding, "But first, Mama has to change Corey's diapers. Unless Daddy would like to do that?" To Tosh's surprise, Jack motioned to his wife to hand over the baby, and swept into the next room. The young woman turned to Tosh, smiling, and said, "You must be Toshiko. . .I'm Lacey Harkness, that was our daughter Corinna, and this is Suzie Costello. Hi, Dad, I'm not ignoring you."

General Keller waited until after Suzie Costello dropped Tosh's hand, and then he kissed his daughter's forehead, answering, "I never thought you were, sweetheart. I have to head back to DC in the morning, if you don't mind putting up your old man for a night? In that case, I'll call your mother and let her know that we're all in safely, and that I'll be home as soon as my meetings are concluded. Don't ask what they're about, Alexandra, I can't tell you yet, because they may not come to fruition."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Dad, I know better than that. Twice over. Suzie, I'm gonna show Tosh to her room, and then we'll get back to work on the specs for the traveling base. If Jack gets back before I do, show him what we've gotten accomplished so far?" Lacey asked, turning to face Suzie. The other woman nodded, already shifting her attention to some papers on the table. Lacey shook her head with an affectionate smile and held out her hand to Tosh, observing, "She won't even notice we're gone. C'mon. I'll show you to your room. Dinner is at six, so you're free to rest or wash up or explore, if you like." Tosh hesitantly put her hand in Lacey's and the two women left the kitchen together.

As they walked upstairs, Lacey Harkness continued, "I hope you like baked ziti. Everyone else seems to enjoy it and it's quick for me to make." Tosh couldn't remember if she ever had it, or maybe she had it and didn't know it by that name. There were so many differences between the English she grew up learning and American English, Tosh felt like she needed a translator. There were so many questions, Tosh had no idea where to start. Was it always like this at Torchwood? Could she really do this?

They reached the room and Tosh gasped a little, and Lacey gave her a quick, concerned glance, but Tosh whispered, "This is all mine?" She looked from the large room to the woman at her side and Lacey nodded. Without realizing it, she tightened her grasp on the other woman's hand and asked a bit hoarsely, "But. . .but what do I _do_ with it all?" There was a bed in the room and a desk, a nightstand and a large bookcase. A gentle palm settled against the side of Tosh's face, encouraging her to look at Lacey.

There was a world of compassion in her companion's eyes as she answered softly, "Whatever you want, Toshiko. This is your room, as long as you want it. Maybe you'll eventually want a place of your own, and that's more than fine. But so long as you live in this building, this is your room and you're free to do what you want. There are just a few rules regarding Torchwood, and Jack will go over them with you, but they aren't stringent. Tomorrow, after we've all had a chance and Dad has gone back to DC, Suzie and I will take you shopping for new clothes and toiletries. Now, I'll let you rest a bit while I check on Jack and Corey. The last time he changed her diaper, he put it on backward. . .deliberately."

Tosh blinked and Lacey added gently, "He would have never left you alone with us if you couldn't handle it, Tosh. Your bathroom. . .I mean, en suite. . .is through that door. My sister Bronwyn usually stays here, so feel free to use her shampoo and such until we can get some for you." Tosh bobbed her head numbly. Lacey smiled at her one last time and left Tosh to her own devices. Earlier, the newest member of Torchwood was overwhelmed by the sheer presence of her new boss. . .and now, she was overwhelmed by her new surroundings. But at least, she thought as she headed into her en suite, at least it wasn't the same four walls of the UNIT prison. For the first time since Jack Harkness swept into her life, Tosh allowed those stirrings of hope to take root. . .and for the first time since her mother was taken, she could _breathe_.

TBC


	6. Owen:  Making Adjustments

Author's Note: I will outright admit that this will probably be the weakest section, because I have a _very_ hard time writing Owen. However, he's an integral part of the show, and I can't short him. And '_Fragments_' was one of the few episodes where I actually liked him ('_Out of Time'_ was another). Also, my youngest niece is six, so I may have overdone the baby-talk by Corey. Sabrina really didn't talk much around me when she was three. Oh, and I can't take credit for the 'change your religion' quote. That came from the 1993 version of _The Three Musketeers._

Chapter Six

Owen: Making Adjustments

West Virginia

June 2004

It was his first week in his new home, doing his new job, and once again, Dr. Owen Harper couldn't sleep. Everything was foreign and uncomfortable, and there was something about his new boss's wife that reminded him of Katie. She didn't look like his lost fiancée (truth be told, she was pretty average-looking), for which he was incredibly grateful, but like Katie before she got sick, she wasn't inclined to put up with bullshit. Then again, she was married to Harkness and probably put up with a lot from him. Truth be told, he was a bit afraid of Alexandra Harkness. . .Owen made a remark to one of his new teammates during dinner on the first night that she didn't like, and she responded by grabbing his ear and informing him that if she ever heard something like that come out of his mouth again, she'd apply a switch to his hindquarters. And damn if Owen didn't believe her, too.

Of course, he also said it around her daughter, who was a toddler, so he could kinda see her point. Still. He would make it a point to stay clear of the small but terrifying Lacey and her even smaller and twice-as-terrifying daughter Corey. His two new teammates, Suzie and Toshiko, both clearly adored the little girl. . .and they were almost as frightening as the mother-daughter combination. Suzie Costello was gorgeous, brilliant, and viciously protective of everyone else. . .including Harkness. Toshiko Sato was cute, just as brilliant, and evidently considered by Suzie and Lacey to be their baby sister. Harkness actually commented on that at one point, observing that Suzie and Tosh made his wife miss her younger sisters a little less.

Harkness. Owen didn't know quite what to make of him. Evidently, he tried to save Katie, but was ignored. But because of him, Owen feared he was losing his mind. He wasn't sorry for taking a swing at the bastard (especially not since Owen then thoroughly humiliated himself by laying on top of the bloke and sobbing into his chest), but. . .but he was also the first person to truly try to comfort Owen after Katie's death. Not by reassuring him that the pain would ease, but because he simply held him. Everyone was so sorry about Katie and wasn't it terrible, but Harkness was the first person who gave him a way to deal with it.

He still found it vaguely creepy, the way the man flirted with everything that moved, but his wife was well aware of that, and seemed to have no problem with it. Something Owen honestly didn't understand. . .then again, there was nothing about that relationship which made sense to him. Harkness was a good-looking bloke. . .what did he see in Lacey? She was okay-looking; nothing special, but Harkness obviously did love his wife. Owen could see that even before Toshiko told him about how Harkness reacted when someone insulted Lacey. Suzie thought a lot of her, but he didn't get how birds thought a lot of the time. Except his Katie.

But if he was truly honest with himself, Owen had to admit the creepiest thing of all was that deep down inside, he kinda liked that Harkness flirted with him. Not that he fancied the bloke. Hell no! However, he knew that if Harkness hadn't flirted with him, the way he did with everyone else, Owen would have been. . .well, that would have angered him. Like Harkness didn't think he was as good as everyone else. Suzie and Toshiko both told him about how Harkness taught them to shoot. . .sounded like the same way he started Owen's gun training. The same way he taught everyone to shoot, including his wife (another good reason to be afraid of her. . .she was a good shot. Almost as good a shot as Harkness). And like Owen said earlier, he was a good-looking bloke. . .eerily so.

A sound interrupted Owen's musings and it was a sound that was out of place, even with the unfamiliar sounds he learned to accept over the last week (had he mentioned that he really didn't like rural areas? Well, he didn't. . .not at all). The young doctor drew his gun carefully, remembering what Harkness told him about the proper time and place to use a gun. . . but even though he wasn't too sure about most of his new teammates (including, or rather especially, his new boss), he wouldn't let anyone hurt any of them. He followed the sound, which he now recognized as groans. . .and found both his libido and fear checked at the sight that greeted him when he reached the open door of the gymnasium. Or what passed for the gymnasium around here. Harkness was straddling a chair, his head resting against the back of the chair and his arms hanging limply at his sides as his wife massaged the nape of his neck and his shoulders, gently chastising him for not telling her about 'this' earlier. Harkness sounded sleepy as he responded in a mumble that Owen couldn't quite understand. That drew a smile from Lacey as she kissed the top of his head.

Owen was already backing away and holstering his gun, when Lacey looked up and saw him. She murmured, "I'll be right back, darlin,' I think there's a draft." She kissed the nape of his neck, and then headed for the door. But rather than slamming the door in Owen's face (which he really expected her to do), she said softly, "I need you to do a favor for me, Owen. I have a heating pad in the kitchen. . .can you bring it here? It's in the left hand side of the stove as you're facing it." Trying to figure exactly when he started taking orders from this woman, Owen found himself nodding and heading for the kitchen. He heard the door close behind him.

In the kitchen, he realized that there was someone else who couldn't sleep. . .Suzie, who was poring over something. She looked up as he entered, gave him a once-over, and then returned her attention to whatever she was doing. However, as he headed to the stove, she said, "If you're looking for the heating pad, look in the drawer, not in the cupboard. Lacey sometimes forgets to specify that." Owen turned to look at the woman, who added, "Let me guess, you found Lacey giving Jack a non-sensual massage and she asked you to get the heating pad?" So, this was a common occurrence? Suzie explained, "Jack sometimes forgets that he's just a human being, albeit a very limber and supple one." _Ew_. Owen did not need that image in his head! Suzie snapped, "Oi, get your head out of the gutter, Harper! And people think Jack has a dirty mind!"

"He does, but not as dirty as everyone seems to think. Contrary to popular belief, my husband is quite capable of behaving with decorum. It's just the flirting they remember, as if he's not memorable enough already. Thanks, Owen. Suzie, since I really need to get back to my stubborn husband, can you get the muscle relaxants out for me? He hurt himself when we went up against that hybrid, which isn't what that really was. I still don't know what it's called, but we encountered one of those before, on my twenty-first birthday," Lacey commented as she accepted the heating pad from Owen. Suzie closed the book she was reading and Lacey added, "I'll make it up to you, I promise. . .I know you've been waiting for that book for ages."

"Don't even worry about it, Lacey, I was getting ready to go back to bed anyhow. Is that where you learned to subdue that Predator type thing?" Suzie asked as she eased her very attractive body out of the chair. Lacey stopped as she headed back out of the kitchen and shook her head, her face growing grim with what was likely the memory of that particular birthday. Owen had a really bad feeling about whatever she was about to say.

"No. I killed the first one we encountered. Jack was. . .unable to fight back, and it would have killed a college student. So I broke cover. . .Jack had me hiding among the trees. . .picked up Jack's big gun and fired. I missed on the first shot. . .so, I figured out the best leverage and fired again. The top half of its body completely disintegrated. It was the first time I had killed anything. . .and I realized after Jack woke up, that I would do it again to protect him or anyone else I loved," Lacey replied. Owen swallowed hard, both at the story and at the quiet determination in the young woman's voice. She sighed quietly, and then added, "I should get back. Thanks for your help, Owen."

Suzie was already following her out the kitchen, bottle of muscle relaxant pills in her hand. But as she crossed the threshold of the kitchen, she stopped and turned back to face Owen. Her own expression was implacable as she said, "I know you've been trying to figure out what Jack could possibly see in Lacey. She isn't stunningly beautiful as most people understand it. But she loves Jack, she accepts him, and she would do anything to protect her family, short of betraying her friends. She doesn't think I know about that particular fear, but I hear more than people realize and Lacey is far stronger than she realizes."

There was a warning in Suzie's words, and Owen accepted that warning with a simple bob of his head. The second young woman followed their boss's wife out of the kitchen. Owen looked around the room, then muttered, "Oh, bugger this. . .I'm the damn doctor!" And with that, he left the kitchen. Lacey was Jack's wife, and no doubt adept at taking care of the man after years of marriage, but she wasn't a doctor.

It wasn't until much later that he realized he thought of his boss by his given name.

TWTWTWTWTW

"Feeling better?" Lacey murmured as she sat down on the bed beside her husband. Owen and Suzie were back in bed, and she checked in on Corey. She was sound asleep, probably the only person in the entire base/house who was. Jack nodded, his eyes remaining closed. She pressed a light kiss against his sternum, whispering, "This brought back a lot of memories for us both. Is that why you didn't tell me that your shoulder was still hurting after that hybrid damn wrenched it out of its socket?"

"You had enough to deal with, Lacey, and it's not your job. . .oh God," Jack gasped as Lacey used her mouth to stifle any further comments. For some reason, his entire torso was always incredibly sensitive after a massage, even a non-sensual massage like the one she just gave him. And right now, she really didn't want him telling her what her job was and wasn't. She wasn't in the field with them when they took down the hybrid, but she saw the aftereffects. . .and it was her job to take care of her husband. One she greatly enjoyed doing. Once Jack got his breath back, he rasped out, "I think I've taught you too well. God. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the way you touch me?" Lacey ignored the spike of desire that shot through her with his words and instead, grinned down at him impishly.

"I think that's been mentioned a few hundred times, yes, love," she replied, before rubbing her cheek against his chest. . .making sure that her soft skin rubbed against his nipples. She was rewarded with a husky groan that had nothing to do with his still-tender shoulder. However, Owen warned her after examining Jack that he wasn't ready for bedroom acrobatics. And while Jack might ignore the doctor, citing that sex didn't have to be acrobatic to be fun, Lacey didn't want to take that chance. Instead, she abandoned her teasing to kiss his forehead and murmured, "I wasn't sure about Owen at first, but he's starting to. . .I wouldn't say 'grow on me,' but I'm starting to see why you hired him."

"I'm sure there's a sufficiently dirty response to your 'grow on me' comment, but right now, I'm too tired to think of any. And if you're just going to tease me, would you lie down beside me already? It's not nice to tease if you don't intend to follow through and I'm going to end up hurting my neck if you stay up there," Jack sniped. Lacey rolled her eyes, but lay down beside him, resting her cheek against his forearm. He grumbled again and lifted her bodily, so that her head was pillowed against his chest, mumbling, "Much better. And yeah, Owen's an annoying pain in the ass, snarky as hell, but he's a good doctor. Was before Katie died, can be again."

Lacey stifled her laughter against Jack's skin, whispering, "I've heard people call you the exact same thing. . .an annoying pain in the ass." She felt, rather than heard, his laughter, and murmured, "I tell them that it's one of the many things I love about you. On the other hand, Suzie snarks right back that it helps you do your job, and makes you so damn good at it. She can be terrifying when she goes into protective mode. I dunno if you noticed, but after I grabbed his ear for saying that to Tosh, she kicked him under the table."

"Really not surprised, not after the way she went after those Torchwood One goons when she found out that they ambushed me before my meeting with the Crown," Jack replied. Lacey rolled her eyes. _Typical Jack_. He wasn't beaten up, he was ambushed. She found out shortly before they left Cardiff that Suzie was right. . .it was five against one, and Jack still managed to put up one helluva fight. Of course he did. She really didn't think it was in her husband to simply let people hurt him. In fact, if that day ever came when he simply gave up and let someone hurt him (unless it was as a distraction), she would know that she needed help to take care of him, over and above her parents, her little sisters, and Suzie.

"They beat you up, Jack. There's no shame in acknowledging that," Lacey pointed out to him. She knew what he would say. . .the same thing he always did. It was a matter of semantics, and they were both right. She wasn't even sure why she always did this when he mentioned their departure from Cardiff three years earlier (aside from the fact she was still furious about it). Jack sighed softly and kissed the top of her head. Lacey snuggled closer, draping her arm around his waist protectively.

"And they would have never been able to do that if they hadn't ambushed me, Lace. I can't let myself forget that. . .the only reason they were able to ambush me was because I let down my guard, and that's something I just can't afford to do," Jack answered. Ah. Now they were getting somewhere. Jack added, sounding more and more sleepy by the minute, "And before you say anything else, there will be times when I can't rely on someone else to watch my back, because there are some things I have to do alone."

"True," Lacey whispered, kissing his collarbone tenderly, "but for tonight, you can let me guard your sleep. And then tomorrow, you're going to let Owen examine you properly. No tissue samples, no blood samples, but let him examine you before he starts getting even more suspicious. I know you're not ready for him or Tosh or Suzie to know the truth about you, but give a little on this, okay, sweetheart?" He grumbled a little more, but tightened his grasp on her. He would think about it, and maybe he would take her suggestion. Maybe he wouldn't. She believed that he needed to trust the people he worked with. He trusted her, and for now, that was enough. She wouldn't betray his trust. Enough people did that already.

TWTWTWTW

August 2004

West Virginia

Owen Harper was a misanthropic, sarcastic bastard who was damn good at his job. But until he went to work for Torchwood and started chasing down stray aliens who thought the US would be a better target than the already-beleaguered UK, he didn't realize that he was absolutely pathetic. And why was he absolutely pathetic? Why, because he came to realize within six weeks of his arrival in West Virginia that he was utterly and completely jealous of three year old Corinna Harkness. And why was he jealous of her? Because she had two parents who loved her totally and completely, and two aunts (Tosh and Suzie) who would willingly sacrifice themselves for her sake. That wasn't taking into account the adoring grandparents and her mother's two younger sisters.

It wasn't fair. He knew it wasn't fair of him to be jealous of a little girl who had what every child should have. But he was. And he avoided the little girl for that very reason. Lacey seemed to sense this, taking the child to her pediatrician in the town (such as it was) when she got the sniffles or was otherwise sick. There was no judgment in her dark eyes, but Owen judged himself. So, maybe it wasn't such a surprise when he started snapping at Suzie and Tosh. Suzie gave it as well as she took it, but Tosh tended to retreat unless she was really angry.

And he was warned, in very explicit terms by Suzie, what she would do to him if he ever made Tosh cry. There was a story there, he was sure, and he really didn't care if he made Tosh cry or what made her so damn special. But he did care about what Suzie would do to him, as he had a feeling that when she threatened to 'change his religion,' it meant something far more sinister than dragging him to the Catholic Mass that Lacey attended. He was quite sure that she intended to remove certain appendages that actually made his life worth living. He was equally sure that even if he found out, Jack wouldn't stop Suzie. He might even help her.

He would definitely help her if Owen made his baby girl cry, which was another good reason to steer clear of the little ankle-biter. And for her part, Corey seemed to understand that she made him uncomfortable. He often heard children likened to cats, especially cats that made a beeline for the people who didn't like them. Corey wasn't like that. She was as leery of Owen as he was of her, and while he didn't want to be around her, he also didn't want her to be afraid of him.

Thus, when the little girl came into his med bay one quiet afternoon, he knew something was wrong. Even before he saw her tear-stained face, he knew something was wrong. Lacey was having a Mommy's Day out, Suzie was working on the latest batch of '_we don't know what the hell this is_' shipment from Cardiff, and Tosh was tinkering with the computers. That left Jack and Corey to have a 'Daddy and Daughter' Day. So, it really wasn't a surprise when the little moppet whimpered, "Owen come. . .Daddy hurt."

Owen groaned under his breath. . .what the hell had Harkness done to himself this time? Still, he grabbed his first aid kit and swept Corey into his arms (_what? It was quicker_!), and trotted off to Corey's room, which was the last place he knew the pair to be. Sure enough, there was Harkness in the middle of the room, lying on his side. What the hell happened in here? A quick glance around the room told him that while the room looked like it was hit with an earthquake (worse than what Harkness and Corey could do together), there were no obvious dangers. However, Jack was unconscious and the only person who could tell him what happened was a three year old girl. And while she could talk, Owen had a bad feeling this was far beyond her ability to explain. For that matter, he was afraid it was beyond his ability to explain.

"Bad ghostie! Hurt Daddy! Bad, bad!" Corey scolded. Owen felt his brows climb into his hairline. Okay. That was actually a pretty good explanation, even if he didn't believe in ghosts. However, he was inclined to re-think that skepticism when a small figure formed in front of him. It looked to be a human child, around five or six years of age, with a distinctly sulky expression. Her (?) arms were folded over her chest, while Corey's tiny hands were settled on her hips, her own expression best described as mulish. Owen bit back his laughter, because it really wasn't funny. But he saw that expression on her mother's face quite frequently, usually when her father was being stubborn.

The ghost/alien child responded in a language that Owen didn't recognize, but Corey was evidently not impressed, because she stamped her little foot, retorting, "Bad ghostie! Corey play with Daddy today, play with ghostie tom'row! Not supposed to hurt Daddy! Corey not play with ghostie no more!" Now that, Owen realized, did scare the little being. Her arms dropped away and she said something in a decidedly pleading voice, extending her hands out to Corey. The little human girl retorted, "Daddy hurt Corey? Nuh-uh!"

There was a groan, and then Jack rasped out, "I believe her, sweetheart. She thought I was hurting you. That's why I put you down so fast, to show her that I wasn't really hurting you, that you were laughing instead of crying. Oh God." Belatedly remembering why Corey brought him here, Owen turned his attention to his newly-conscious boss, who was trying (and largely failing) to sit up. Owen put his hand in the middle of Jack's chest, pushing him back down. Even more worrying, Jack actually obeyed. This was actually worrisome. Corey scrambled over to her father's side, petting his hair, and Jack said something in that odd language the ghost/alien child used. He switched back to English, murmuring, "That's a relief. I was afraid she was one of the Gelfth. Not sure how Corey understands French, but not gonna worry about it."

Satisfied that her father would be okay, Corey snuggled against his side, resting her head against his shoulder. Jack kissed her head, murmuring, "It's okay, sweetheart. Owen, meet Gisele. She lived here about, oh, I'd say three hundred years ago or so." Jack once more switched back to French, completing the introduction. The child named 'Gisele' curtsied neatly, inclining her head at the same time, and Jack told his daughter in English, "It's okay, baby. Gisele didn't realize I was your father and thought I was hurting you. She thought she was protecting you. We were playing. . .airplane, I think it was, Owen." The doctor nodded but didn't answer otherwise, too concerned with examining his boss. Jack continued, wincing as Owen found a bruise on his torso, "She threw me in a wall to make sure I didn't hurt Corey."

"Daddy not hurt Corey. Gissy was bad," Corey retorted, not moving her face from her father's shoulder. Now Owen realized that when he heard 'ghostie,' Corey was in fact saying 'Gissy,' for 'Gisele.' The little ghost child bowed her head, biting her lip. In spite of the weird factor and the worry of the last few minutes, Owen couldn't help but feel sorry for her. After a moment, Corey raised her head and said reluctantly, "Gissy stay, if Daddy not mad. But no hurt Daddy or Mommy, **EVER**!"

It wasn't funny. Really, it wasn't. But for a split second, Owen saw both of the child's parents in Corey's stance and in her tone, and he had a glimpse of what she would be like when she grew up. When he hired Owen, Jack warned him that Torchwood operatives didn't tend to live long. Owen hoped that wasn't the case with him. He wanted to see what Corey would be like as an adult. Or at least as a somewhat older teenager.

"That's my girl. I'm not mad at you or at Gisele, but I do need to talk to your grandfather about why we didn't know until now about her. If I promise not to move again until Lacey gets home, Owen, will you help me get to bed? This really isn't very comfortable and I think both Gisele and Corey need a cooling off period," Jack requested. Owen thought about that for a moment. He couldn't find any broken bones and he did need to do a more thorough exam to make sure Jack didn't have a concussion. After a moment, he nodded his agreement and Jack once more switched to French, evidently telling the ghost-girl that she could come back tomorrow, once Corey wasn't so upset. Gisele nodded emphatically, evidently apologizing once more, before fading away. With that little domestic settled (really, what had his life turned into?), Owen helped Jack up from the ground.

After he tended to Jack, he returned to work in the med bay. Corey alternated between lying beside her father and sitting up, guarding him. She really was a cute little kid. Not just pretty, but cute. . .tiny, but fierce. She was as protective of her parents as they were of her, something that Gisele found out the hard way. Suzie got a sad look on her face when she heard about the entire situation, but hugged Corey and told her that she was very proud of her. Tosh wondered if she could figure out a way to alert them of Gisele's presence as she held Corey on her lap. Lacey fussed over her husband and daughter. And Owen was beginning to see what Jack saw in his wife and why Tosh and Suzie fussed over Corey.

But he still avoided dealing with the little girl as much as possible.

TWTWTWTW

Early December 2004

West Virginia

He had a doctor. He had a tech wizard. He had his second-in-command and chief researcher. His team was complete. Suzie asked him about hiring someone to keep their archives straight, especially once they returned to Cardiff. Jack told her that he would think about that, but for now, Lacey was doing that when she wasn't caring for their daughter and the rest of them. A quick phone call to his father-in-law after the initial contact with Gisele reassured him that they weren't told about the little girl because she never appeared to anyone before. Interesting. Very interesting. The child died nearly three hundred years earlier, but this was the first time she manifested herself.

They were a few years into the twenty-first century, and while he couldn't do anything about the rest of Torchwood, Jack was determined that his own little team would be as ready as possible. His wife reminded him that despite one's best efforts, there were some things that one simply couldn't prepare for. Jack hated to admit it, but she was right. That wouldn't stop him from trying. According to the Brigadier, the Crown had told Torchwood Three that his changes would remain in place. . .including his changes regarding the Doctor. That was good to know. Torchwood One was still hanging onto its policies, but that was Torchwood One.

But for now, his team was putting up their Christmas tree. Or rather, the three ladies were decorating the Christmas tree, getting tinsel on each other, and a very uncomfortable-looking Owen held Corey on his lap. That was Suzie's idea, right before she threw some tinsel onto Tosh, and Lacey yanked the rim of the Santa hat over her eyes. _Honestly. Those three could act like teenagers at times._ It was one of the reasons he loved having them around.

What Jack couldn't have known was that in another five months, it would be two actual teenagers who found themselves in the middle of an alien civil war. . .and that Torchwood would also be in the middle of that same civil war before the following year was out.

Fin (coming within the next few weeks, the Autobots land on Earth)


End file.
